When Barcelona faced Benfica in late January, there were not many who gave the Portuguese side a chance. Barca had won all 22 of their games so far in the season, scored 105 goals in the process, and conceded on just four occasions – yet, Benfica fought for an unforgettable 4-4 draw, only salvaged for Barca by Lucy Bronze’s 96th-minute equaliser.
“It was one of the most incredible games I've ever played,” Lucia Alves, one of Benfica’s rising stars, tells GOAL. “Barcelona have players who are real references and the privilege of playing against them is undoubtedly a huge motivation. Benfica showed what they are and the quality they have. We left everything on the pitch and didn't give the game away. Everyone knows that there are no impossible things in football.”
It's a glimpse at the spirit that the Portuguese champions will take into their first-ever UEFA Women’s Champions League quarter-final this week against another giant of the game, Lyon. Benfica will again be the underdogs, facing the eight-time European champions, but they have players who can hurt the French side, such as the electric Kika, former Lyon star Jessica Silva, and Alves, the assist-machine who has attracted interest from Women’s Super League clubs in what she herself describes as a “breakthrough year”.
You can watch the UEFA Women’s Champions League for free on DAZN, wherever you are in the world!