UEFA Champions League Gameweek 1
Benfica 2 - 3 FT Qarabag
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Futmetrix Verdict
100
FT
Sun, Sep 20
Manchester City
5-3
Sunderland
⚡ Intensity
100
⚖️ Balance
91
🏆 Stakes
67
🎲 Upset
0
Eight goals, hat-trick heroics, pure chaos.
Futmetrix Verdict
55
FT
Sun, Sep 20
Gamba Osaka
0-1
Vissel Kobe
⚡ Intensity
40
⚖️ Balance
20
🏆 Stakes
78
🎲 Upset
0
Erik breaks Gamba hearts at 90'
Futmetrix Verdict
100
FT
Sun, Sep 20
Atletico Madrid
2-1
Real Madrid
⚡ Intensity
86
⚖️ Balance
31
🏆 Stakes
100
🎲 Upset
60
A chaotic derby flips Madrid's hierarchy.
Match Statistics
Possession
Shots
Shots on Target
Expected Goals (xG)
Passes
Pass Accuracy
Corners
Fouls
Yellow Cards
Red Cards
Match Events
6' E. Barrenechea (G. Sudakov)
16' V. Pavlidis
Leandro Andrade (C. Duran) 30'
HT
C. Duran (M. Jankovic) 48'
↓ Leandro Andrade ↑E. Addai 66'
70' ↓ F. Aursnes ↑F. Ivanovic
70' ↓ A. Schjelderup ↑G. Prestianni
↓ E. Cafarquliyev ↑T. Bayramov 77'
↓ M. Jankovic ↑O. Kashchuk 77'
79' ↓ R. Rios ↑L. Barreiro
79' ↓ V. Pavlidis ↑H. Araujo
O. Kashchuk (A. Zoubir) 86'
↓ C. Duran ↑M. Qurbanly 90'
FT
Player Cards
Our take on every player in this match
Benfica
Goalkeepers
Anatoliy Trubin 
LATE SHIFT
15
Late Mins
15
Late Mins
90
Total Mins
Started
Entry
Defenders
Amar Dedić 
WALL
0
Dribbled Past
0
Dribbled Past
4
Tackles
86%
Duel Win %
António Silva
LATE SHIFT
15
Late Mins
15
Late Mins
90
Total Mins
Started
Entry
Nicolás Otamendi
LATE SHIFT
15
Late Mins
15
Late Mins
90
Total Mins
Started
Entry
Samuel Dahl
LATE SHIFT
15
Late Mins
15
Late Mins
90
Total Mins
Started
Entry
Midfielders
Richard Ríos 
STORMTROOPER
2
Shots
2
Shots
0
Goals
0
On Target
Enzo Barrenechea 
SNIPER
100%
Conversion
100%
Conversion
1
Goals
1
Shots
Fredrik Aursnes
LATE SHIFT
15
Late Mins
15
Late Mins
70
Total Mins
70
Entry
Heorhiy Sudakov 
PROVIDER
1
Assists
1
Assists
2
Key Passes
7.3
Rating
Andreas Schjelderup
LATE SHIFT
15
Late Mins
15
Late Mins
70
Total Mins
70
Entry
Forwards
Vangelis Pavlidis
SNIPER
50%
Conversion
50%
Conversion
1
Goals
2
Shots
BENCH
Samuel Soares 
SPECTATOR
0
Saves
0
Saves
0
Conceded
0
Minutes
Rafael Obrador
LATE SHIFT
15
Late Mins
15
Late Mins
0
Total Mins
Started
Entry
Tomás Araújo
LATE SHIFT
15
Late Mins
15
Late Mins
0
Total Mins
Started
Entry
Gonçalo Oliveira
LATE SHIFT
15
Late Mins
15
Late Mins
0
Total Mins
Started
Entry
Leandro Santos
LATE SHIFT
15
Late Mins
15
Late Mins
0
Total Mins
Started
Entry
Leandro Barreiro
LATE SHIFT
15
Late Mins
15
Late Mins
11
Total Mins
Started
Entry
João Veloso
LATE SHIFT
15
Late Mins
15
Late Mins
0
Total Mins
Started
Entry
João Rêgo
LATE SHIFT
15
Late Mins
15
Late Mins
0
Total Mins
Started
Entry
Diogo Prioste
LATE SHIFT
15
Late Mins
15
Late Mins
0
Total Mins
Started
Entry
Franjo Ivanović
LATE SHIFT
15
Late Mins
15
Late Mins
20
Total Mins
Started
Entry
Gianluca Prestianni
LATE SHIFT
15
Late Mins
15
Late Mins
20
Total Mins
Started
Entry
Henrique Araújo
LATE SHIFT
15
Late Mins
15
Late Mins
11
Total Mins
Started
Entry
Qarabag
Goalkeepers
Mateusz Kochalski 
SIEVE
33%
Save %
33%
Save %
2
Conceded
1
Saves
Defenders
Matheus Silva
WALL
0
Dribbled Past
0
Dribbled Past
7
Tackles
76%
Duel Win %
Bahlul Mustafazada
LATE SHIFT
15
Late Mins
15
Late Mins
90
Total Mins
Started
Entry
Kevin Medina
LATE SHIFT
15
Late Mins
15
Late Mins
90
Total Mins
Started
Entry
Elvin Jafarguliyev
LATE SHIFT
13
Late Mins
13
Late Mins
77
Total Mins
77
Entry
Midfielders
A. Zoubir
👻 Invisible Nothing to note
Pedro Bicalho
LATE SHIFT
15
Late Mins
15
Late Mins
90
Total Mins
Started
Entry
Marko Janković
PROVIDER
1
Assists
1
Assists
1
Key Passes
7.3
Rating
Leandro Andrade
SNIPER
100%
Conversion
100%
Conversion
1
Goals
1
Shots
Kady Borges 
ARCHITECT
4
Key Passes
4
Key Passes
0
Assists
28%
Pass Acc
Forwards
Camilo Durán 
FINISHER
1
Goals
1
Goals
3
Shots
8.3
Rating
BENCH
Shahruddin Mahammadaliyev
SPECTATOR
0
Saves
0
Saves
0
Conceded
0
Minutes
Fabijan Buntić
SPECTATOR
0
Saves
0
Saves
0
Conceded
0
Minutes
Samy Mmaee
LATE SHIFT
15
Late Mins
15
Late Mins
0
Total Mins
Started
Entry
Daniel Lima
LATE SHIFT
15
Late Mins
15
Late Mins
0
Total Mins
Started
Entry
Toral Bayramov
LATE SHIFT
15
Late Mins
15
Late Mins
13
Total Mins
Started
Entry
Abbas Huseynov
LATE SHIFT
15
Late Mins
15
Late Mins
0
Total Mins
Started
Entry
Badavi Huseynov
LATE SHIFT
15
Late Mins
15
Late Mins
0
Total Mins
Started
Entry
Chris Kouakou
LATE SHIFT
15
Late Mins
15
Late Mins
0
Total Mins
Started
Entry
Oleksii Kashchuk 
CLUTCH HERO
86
Goal Time
86
Goal Time
Goal
Impact
7.3
Rating
Emmanuel Addai
LATE SHIFT
15
Late Mins
15
Late Mins
24
Total Mins
Started
Entry
Musa Gurbanli
LATE SHIFT
15
Late Mins
15
Late Mins
1
Total Mins
Started
Entry
Match previews and recaps to help you decide which games are worth watching
Benfica
Qarabag
Benfica
Qarabag
Qarabag Heists Champions League Shock at Estádio da Luz
Worth Watching Futmetrix Score: 64/100. Qarabag's ruthless counter-attacking exposed Benfica's defensive fragility in a five-goal spectacle that rewrote the script on European football's biggest stage.
The Upset Factor Takes Hold
Benfica arrived at Estádio da Luz as the home fortress, yet within 90 minutes they were undone by a visiting side that turned chaos into currency. Enzo Barrenechea struck first for the hosts in the sixth minute, assisted by Gregório Sudakov, and Vangelis Pavlidis doubled the advantage ten minutes later. The Intensity seemed controlled, Benfica's possession (53%) translating into early dominance. But football punishes complacency with ruthless efficiency.Qarabag's transformation began in the 30th minute when Leandro Andrade pulled one back, set up by Camilo Duran, whose movement had already begun to unsettle Benfica's backline. The Colombian forward was operating at a different tempo—sharper, hungrier, more clinical. His rating of 8.3 reflected a complete performance: one goal, one assist, a constant thorn in the Portuguese defence.
The Turning Point: When Qarabag Seized Control
The second half opened with seismic consequences. Duran struck again in the 48th minute, this time finishing a move orchestrated by Marko Jankovic, and suddenly the Balance had shifted entirely. Benfica's 14 shots (only three on target) became a statistical monument to wastefulness. They dominated the ball but lacked the precision to convert Stakes into substance. Meanwhile, Qarabag's five shots on target—from just ten attempts—told a story of lethal efficiency. Matheus Silva's defensive mastery (8.2 rating) anchored the visitors' backline, turning Benfica's attacking intent into frustration.By the 86th minute, Oleksiy Kashchuk sealed the upset with a fifth goal, delivered by Aziz Zoubir. The scoreline read 3-2 to Qarabag—a Surprise of seismic proportions for a side sitting first in the league table with 18 points from seven games, their form now reading WLWWW with a +11 goal difference.
The Data Tells the Tale
Benfica's 86% pass accuracy (408 of 477) masked a fundamental breakdown in transition defence. They were picked apart repeatedly on the counter, their possession becoming a liability rather than an asset. Qarabag's 81% accuracy from 432 passes proved far more economical. The xG figures (Benfica 1.38, Qarabag 1.52) barely reflected the gulf in execution—one team created chances, the other buried them.
What is the Futmetrix Score?
The Futmetrix Score is our 0-100 verdict on how entertaining a match is. We look at intensity, balance, stakes, and star quality to tell you if it's worth your time.
Archive note: this preview was written after the match was played.
A Battle for European Survival
Skip It Futmetrix Score: 26/100. This clash at the Estádio da Luz represents a desperate scramble for the top 24, where the loser faces the very real threat of early elimination from the Champions League.
The Setup
As we approach this September 16, 2025 fixture, the Stakes could not be higher for two sides sitting on the periphery of the knockout phase. Benfica currently languishes in 25th place with six points, just one spot below the critical playoff line. Their Form has taken a worrying turn; after starting the campaign with two wins, they have slumped to three consecutive defeats. The home side’s Balance has been disrupted, and they must rediscover their early-season clinical edge to avoid a disastrous exit from the competition. Meanwhile, Qarabag sits in 22nd with seven points, precariously clinging to a position that would grant them a playoff berth. Their journey has been equally erratic, but they arrive in Lisbon knowing that even a draw could be a massive step toward securing their place among the elite. For both clubs, this is effectively a continental six-pointer.
Key Battle
Without individual Stars taking the spotlight in recent weeks, this match will be decided by the tactical discipline of the respective units. The battle pits the Benfica home midfield against the disciplined defensive block of the visitors. Benfica will look to dominate possession and exploit the wings to break down a Qarabag side that has conceded 13 goals so far this season. The visitors will rely on their collective transition play, looking to frustrate the Lisbon crowd and catch the hosts on the break when they overcommit in search of a season-saving goal.
Our Prediction
Benfica’s home advantage at the Estádio da Luz usually provides the extra gear needed in high-pressure moments. Expect the hosts to control the tempo from the opening whistle, though their recent defensive fragility suggests Qarabag will find a way through at least once. However, the sheer necessity of the three points should drive the Portuguese giants to a hard-fought 2-1 victory, hauling themselves back into the playoff conversation and leaving the visitors looking nervously over their shoulders.