GOLAZONEWSBenfica Secures Dramatic Stoppage-Time Victory Over Estrela da Amadora
- Vangelis Pavlidis scored a 94th-minute winner to seal a 3-2 result.
- Gianluca Prestianni opened the scoring with a VAR-validated strike.
- Manager Marco Silva criticized his team's performance despite the win.
Benfica earned a narrow 3-2 victory against Estrela da Amadora at the Reboleira in a match that remained undecided until the final moments. The visitors took an early lead through an impressive strike by Gianluca Prestianni, which was eventually cleared by VAR by a margin of just two centimeters. However, Estrela responded early in the second half as Zvonarek exploited a gap in the defense to equalize in the 49th minute.
The lead changed hands again when a cross from Rafa resulted in an own goal by Schappo, but Estrela fought back once more. A misjudgment by Benfica goalkeeper Samuel Soares during a wide free kick allowed the home side to level the score at 2-2. It was not until the fourth minute of added time that Vangelis Pavlidis secured the points for Benfica, converting a trivela cross delivered by Andreas Schjelderup.
In the stands, former Borussia Dortmund defender Mats Hummels watched the game in his capacity as a shareholder of Estrela's SAD. Following the whistle, Benfica coach Marco Silva expressed frustration with his team's second-half errors, having earlier received a yellow card for his protests. Estrela manager Pepa praised his players' spirit, while teammate Antonetti felt the defeat was an unfair outcome for the home side.