Benfica vs FC Porto: Dramatic 29-29 Draw in Handball National Championship

RESUMO BTV

Benfica and FC Porto battled to a 29-29 draw on Saturday, March 7th, in a crucial match of the Campeonato Nacional handball league’s first phase, played at Pavilhão n.º 2 da Luz. Alejandro Barbeito secured the late equalizer for Benfica.

FC Porto started strong, demonstrating greater offensive efficiency. They quickly took a 2-4 lead within the first five minutes, capitalizing on their opportunities and minimizing errors.

The visitors extended their advantage to 3-7 by the eight-and-a-half-minute mark, with Gunnarsson already contributing four goals.

Despite two-minute exclusions for Ricardo Brandão and Salinas before the 12th minute, Benfica couldn’t fully capitalize. FC Porto strategically pulled their goalkeeper during offensive plays to maintain numerical parity, allowing them to continue creating scoring chances.

Exploiting space in the 6-meter zone, FC Porto built a 7-10 lead by the 15th minute. Benfica began to find their rhythm, adjusting their defense to a more aggressive 5×1 formation.

The defensive shift had an immediate impact. FC Porto’s attack faltered, and Benfica closed the gap to 9-10 by the 18th minute. They came close to equalizing several times, but some errant offensive decisions prevented them from drawing level.

Benfica goalkeeper Gustavo Capdeville emerged as a key player, making several crucial saves to keep his team in contention. Despite some offensive struggles on both sides, the teams headed into halftime with FC Porto leading 14-15.

The second half saw a determined Benfica take the floor. By the 32nd minute, two consecutive goals gave the home side their first lead of the game (16-15).

An early exchange of goals saw Benfica take a two-goal lead (20-18) after Salinas was sent off for two minutes following contact with Gustavo Capdeville.

With Gustavo Capdeville continuing to excel in goal and Christopher Hedberg finishing successfully, the score reached 21-18. Yet, consecutive Benfica turnovers, despite further saves from Capdeville, allowed FC Porto to reduce the deficit to 21-20.

The game remained intense and closely contested. Benfica struggled to maintain offensive fluidity, committing two offensive fouls that halted their momentum and allowed FC Porto to close the gap. By the 44th minute, the score was tied at 22-22.

In the closing minutes, Benfica attempted to surprise the opposition by playing with two pivots and no goalkeeper, but failed to score on two possessions. Gustavo Capdeville continued to make decisive saves, keeping the game open.

The score remained level late in the game, at 26-26 with seven minutes remaining. Benfica responded to fall behind 26-28 with five minutes left.

Benfica fought back to tie the game at 28-28 with two-and-a-half minutes remaining. As the clock wound down, Gustavo Capdeville made another save, giving Benfica a chance to take the lead, but they couldn’t convert. FC Porto then took a 28-29 advantage with 12 seconds left.

Trailing with 12 seconds remaining, Benfica coach Jota González called a timeout to prepare the final defensive and offensive play. The strategy proved successful in dramatic fashion.

Following intense pressure from two Benfica players on the ball carrier, Gustavo Capdeville recovered possession with five seconds remaining and quickly passed to Alejandro Barbeito. The pivot shot powerfully from the 9-meter line to tie the game at 29-29, sparking celebrations among the Benfica fans in the arena.

With this result, Benfica finishes the first phase of the Campeonato Nacional with 16 wins and 3 draws in 22 games, totaling 57 points. They now await the two postponed matches of FC Porto to determine whether they will start the second phase of the competition in second or third place.

In the next phase, the top four teams will compete for the national title, starting with half the points earned during the first phase.

STATEMENTS

Jota González (Benfica coach): “We complicated the game at the beginning. We lost a lot of balls and they scored on the counterattack. We managed to get the equalizer on the last ball. We will only go into the next phase with 1 point less than FC Porto. The team gave their all, it’s a shame about the many turnovers on offense. We tried to pressure at the end to make them lose the ball, the first player to have it had to attack the ball. This draw could be important for us. It was a very intense game, we only trained on Friday. We are missing important players and the team’s attitude was good.”

Alejandro Barbeito (Benfica pivot): “It was on the last opportunity. I didn’t have time to believe, there were 4 or 5 seconds left. There’s no time to think, just go to the goal, and then my teammates said they were alone, but I shot the ball. We are very happy to have gotten the draw. It was a very intense game, especially after the trip from the European competition game. But that’s what high-level competition is like. You have to know how to play when you only have 1 or 2 days to train.”