Benfica head coach Jorge Jesus described Haris Seferovic's stoppage-time miss against Barcelona in the Champions League as the worst he has seen "in 30 years".
The tame effort on the counterattack would have given Benfica a late 1-0 lead over the Blaugrana and pushed them into second place in Group E. Instead, the Portuguese team now have to rely on results going their way to reach the next round following their scoreless draw.
Seferovic jinked past the goalkeeper and was faced with an empty net and scrambling Barca defender. He steered his attempt wide, however, leading to Jorge Jesus falling to the ground in dismay.
Watch Seferovic's miss against Barcelona (US & UK)
What has been said?
"In 30 years as a coach, I've never seen anything like this, but it happened," Jesus told the CNN Portugal. "To me and to Benfica."
Still, the head coach was proud of the effort of his players and although they will require Barca to slip up against Bayern to be able to advance, there is still a belief that they can do it.
"The team created opportunities, we left with a result that makes us dream [of advancing], it doesn't depend on us," he said. "We have a chance when there's only one game left. We're in the mix with Barcelona, ââa team that aims to win the Champions League.
"This can only make us proud to the fans because the team behaved like a great team here."
What do Benfica need to advance?
With just one group game left, Benfica need to beat Dynamo to stand any chance of progressing. Should they defeat the Ukrainian side, and Barca lose to Bayern, they will definitely make it through to the last 16.
A win against Dynamo and Barca drawing with Bayern would also see the Portuguese side advance, given that, in the event of the two teams being level on points, the head-to-head record is factored in (with Benfica having beaten Barca 3-0 on matchday two).
Team | Played | Won | Goal difference | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Bayern | 5 | 5 | 16 | 15 |
Barcelona | 5 | 2 | -4 | 7 |
Benfica | 5 | 1 | -4 | 5 |
Dynamo Kyiv | 5 | 0 | -8 | 1 |