UCL Drama: First-Ever 5-4 Thriller and Two Record-Breaking Feats

UCL Tuesday, Benfica started strong with a stunning 30-minute hat-trick from Vangelis Pavlidis, capitalizing on two errors by Polish goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny. Barcelona fought back with goals from Robert Lewandowski (penalty) and Raphinha, but an own goal by Ronald Araujo kept Benfica ahead 4-3.

In a dramatic twist, Raphinha equalized in the 64th minute with a deflected header. Moments later, another Araujo own goal restored Benfica’s lead. However, Lewandowski’s second penalty leveled the score again at 4-4. Eric Garcia’s header tied the match before Raphinha sealed Barcelona’s thrilling 5-4 victory in the final moments.

Liverpool maintained their perfect Champions League run with a 2-1 win over Lille, securing a spot in the last 16. Mohamed Salah achieved a milestone by scoring his 50th European goal, cementing his place among the competition’s top scorers with 47 UCL goals, just three behind Kylian Mbappe and Thierry Henry.

Stuttgart’s Jamie Leweling delivered a standout performance in their 3-1 win against Slovan, ending the latter’s playoff hopes. Leweling became only the second Stuttgart player to score twice in a Champions League match, following Mario Gomez’s feat in 2007 against Lyon.

Check the updated UCL table after Tuesday’s action.