With Champions League anthem playing, Sporting nick late 2-2 derby draw | OneFootball

Benfica and Sporting were involved in an exciting derby that ended in a draw (2-2), on the opening matchday of Group B of the Pontinha International Tournament at U-13 level. The young Eagles came close to securing the win after a second-half comeback, but ended up conceding the equalizer in the very last minute.

The teams’ entrance to the pitch, to the sound of the Champions League anthem (with the Eagles’ presence in next season’s edition possibly depending on Porto), gave even more symbolism to the match, played at the Alto do Lumiar Sports Complex. In the first half, despite the balance between the sides, it was the Lions who took the lead close to half-time through Nuno Rodrigues (22').

In the second half, the Luz club showed a different attitude and managed to respond effectively. Steven Lopes restored parity with a precise header (39') after a cross from the right, giving the team fresh momentum.

Shortly afterwards, Rodrigo Santos completed the comeback (44') by pouncing on a rebound in the six-yard box, putting the Reds ahead on the scoreboard. With control of the game, Benfica seemed to be on course for victory, but Sporting eventually found the equalizer.

In a closing phase that was more emotional than organized, a long-range strike from Duarte Coelho caught the Benfica goalkeeper by surprise and made it 2-2 very close to the final whistle. Despite the outcome, Benfica showed plenty of promise and now turn their focus to the next round, where they will face Santa Clara. The team in red therefore remains in the fight for a place in the semi-finals, in a tournament where only the top two teams in each group advance.

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This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇵🇹 here.