Benfica lose in Braga, League Cup qualification at risk | OneFootball

Benfica Women's Football - which announced the departure of a player - was defeated this Wednesday in their away match against Braga, 3-2. In a game counting for the third round of the League Cup, the goals for Ivan Baptista's team were scored by Cristina Martín-Prieto (28’) and Caroline Møller (90+6'). Malu Schmidt (18’, 54’ and 87’) scored for the home team.

Benfica in management loses in Braga

Lena Pauels, Letícia Almeida, Christy Ucheibe, Diana Gomes, Marit Lund (46’), Anna Gasper (62’), Beatriz Cameirão, Chandra Davidson (46’), Clarinha (74’), Lara Martins, and Cristina Martín-Prieto (46’) were Ivan Baptista's initial choices. Nycole Raysla (46’), Catarina Amado (46’), Lúcia Alves (46’), Caroline Møller (62’), and Pauleta (74’) were brought on during the match.

At 18 minutes, taking advantage of a mistake by Christy Ucheibe in a dangerous area, Braga took the lead. After some confusion inside the Benfica penalty area, Malu Schmidt, the Brazilian from Braga, fired into the net to open the scoring.

Malu Schmidt was a nightmare for the Eagles in the League Cup

Benfica's response came at 28 minutes. On the left wing, Marit Lund delivered a precise cross that found Cristina Martín-Prieto. At the far post, the Spanish international headed the ball to score Benfica's first, leveling the match again.

At the start of the second half, at 54 minutes, Malu Schmidt caused more damage. After a misplaced pass by Anna Gasper, the Braga player appeared in the Benfica defense and launched a missile, leaving Lena Pauels with no chance to save. Before the end, the Brazilian scored again to make it 3-1, and Caroline Møller reduced the deficit to 3-2.

Benfica turns attention to the Portuguese Cup

With this defeat – the sixth in 21 games this season – Benfica dropped to second place in Group A of the League Cup. The Eagles have six points in three games, while Valadares Gaia leads with nine points. Braga is third with four points. In this stage of the competition, the top two teams advance to the semi-finals.

Benfica's next match is scheduled for Sunday, January 18, 2026. The game will start at 16:00 and will be played at Estádio Manuel Marques in Torres Vedras, where Benfica will face Torreense. This match is valid for the quarter-finals of the Generali Tranquilidade Women's Portuguese Cup 2025/26.

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