Feyenoord defy the odds to win 1-3 against Benfica in the UEFA Champions League
Feyenoord produced a shock result on Wednesday evening as they beat Benfica 1-3 in the UEFA Champions League at the Estadio Da Luz in Lisbon. Antoni Milambo scored two goals, with Ayase Ueda getting the other as the Rotterdammers even had two more goals disallowed in a deserved victory.
The result is Feyenoord’s second win in a row in the competition and puts them in 16th in the 36-team league, which is one of the spots for the next playoff round. Feyenoord were considered strong underdogs against the Portuguese side, especially after they trounced Spanish side Atletico Madrid 4-0 in their last Champions League match.
Brian Priske decided to give center-back Gernot Trauner a starting place in the lineup. The Austrian was preferred to Thomas Beelen. This was the only change compared to the 5-1 win against Go Ahead Eagles last weekend.
Feyenoord took the lead in the 12th minute. Igor Paixao was found on the wing, and he then played the ball inside to Ayase Ueda, who did not hesitate, placing the ball into the near corner.
The Portuguese side came close to equalizing in the 20th minute. A corner from Angel Di Maria was headed toward goal by Alexander Bah, but the defender's header came back off the post when it only needed to be headed on target.
Feyenoord thought they had made it 2-0 in the 24th minute when Ueda had the ball into the net for his second of the match, but the goal was eventually disallowed after a VAR review as Jordan Lotomba had fouled Nicolas Otamendi in the box before the goal.
However, Feyenoord made up for it by getting the second goal of the match in the 33rd minute. A sharp pass from Quinten Timber found Antoni Milambo, who put the ball through Otamendi’s legs before also shooting the ball through Benfica goalkeeper Anatoliy Trubin’s legs to set the very surprising halftime score at 0-2 for Feyenoord.
Brian Priske’s side had their second disallowed goal of the match just before the hour mark when Trauner tapped home from close range after Hancko had hit the post. Trauner was ahead of Hancko when the attempt was made, which meant that he was offside.
A nervy finish was set up for the Rotterdammers when Benfica got a goal back in the 66th minute. A shot was poorly palmed away by Feyenoord goalkeeper Timon Wellenreuther, which gave Muhammed Kerem Aktürkoğlu the chance to tap home from close range.
The German goalkeeper made up for his slight error somewhat a short while later when he acrobatically saved a header from Zeki Amdouni.
Benfica pushed, but Feyenoord held on before they were able to decide the match in their favor in the 93rd minute. Milambo got his second of the match with a sweeping effort from the edge of the area after he was picked out by Paixao.
It was a huge win for the Rotterdammers and for Priske, who is starting to get his critics onside. His side have won their last four matches now. They will be tested again on the weekend when they travel to second-placed FC Utrecht in the Eredivisie.
