Benfica and Dortmund legends shine at a ground the Eagles dread | OneFootball

At the Rote Erde Stadium, just a few metres from Signal Iduna Park in Dortmund, former Benfica and Borussia greats faced off in a reenactment of the game of the century. It was on this very stage that the Eagles were knocked out by the same club in the second round of the European Cup in 1963, after a 5-0 defeat following a 1-1 draw in the first leg.

After the customary team photo, fan-favourite figures from different eras of both clubs dusted off their boots for 70 minutes. The Eagles enjoyed more control, driven by Gaitán and Saviola - whose involvement was only announced at the last minute.

The former Argentine striker sent João Tomás through on goal, and he even dinked it over Weidenfeller, but a German clearance kept the score level. Karagounis had a golden chance to open the scoring in the 27th minute, but the German keeper pulled off a great save from the penalty spot.

The Eagles were almost always the closer side to scoring and turned their intent into a timeless goal in the 40th minute. Javier Saviola rolled back the years to the early 2010s, slipped André Almeida through with a backheel pass and made his way into the box, where, with an acrobatic scissor kick, he opened the scoring. A clinical finish from the striker who played for Benfica between 2009 and 2012.

Other names who once played at the Luz also took part: Bruno Costa, Sílvio, José Soares, Tiago Gomes, Bruno Aguiar, Carlitos Cunha, Manuel Fernandes and Mantorras all came on as the match went on.

Borussia Dortmund came to life with the substitutions. The score was then sealed three minutes after Bruno Costa had blocked a dangerous shot from Valdez, when Mohamed Zidan levelled from the penalty spot in the 64th minute after a foul by Jardel.

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