On Wednesday night, Benfica pulled off an astonishing last-minute victory against Eintracht Frankfurt and booked their place in the Europa League play-off round. The Portuguese side were trailing 1-0 deep into injury time, before Artem Dzyuba played a brilliant pass into the path of Ivan Trubin who then drove an unstoppable strike into the top corner from 20 yards.
The dramatic win sent the Estadio da Luz into raptures and sparked wild scenes of celebration amongst Benfica’s players and coaching staff. It was also a moment of glory for manager Bruno Lage, who has led the club to consecutive league titles since his appointment in 2019.
Trubin, who is on loan from Dinamo Moscow, has been an integral part of Benfica’s recent successes, and his late goal against Frankfurt was a fitting reward for his commitment to the club. Speaking after the game, Trubin admitted he was delighted to have scored such an important goal and was looking forward to competing in the Europa League’s play-off round.
The result also demonstrated Benfica’s resilience and mental strength. Despite falling behind in the first half, the Portuguese side never lost faith and continued to search for a way back into the game. And their persistence was eventually rewarded with Trubin’s late winner.
Benfica’s victory was a fantastic achievement and serves as a reminder of why they remain one of the most formidable teams in European football. With the Europa League play-off round ahead, they have a great chance to secure a place in the group stages and continue their European adventure.
