Benfica in Trouble: Champions League Nightmare Continues

Benfica suffered their fourth straight defeat in the UEFA Champions League group stage, joining Ajax as one of only two teams still without a single point in the tournament.
In front of their home crowd, the Portuguese giants — featuring Ukrainians Anatolii Trubin and Heorhii Sudakov — had enough chances to put Bayer Leverkusen to the sword in the first half alone. But wasteful finishing proved costly once again. Sudakov could have easily registered two assists: first, Barreiro failed to convert a perfect pass, and then Dodi Lukebakio squandered a one-on-one opportunity.
Sudakov was substituted in the 54th minute, and his teammates continued to waste chances. The punishment came midway through the second half — Trubin initially denied Patrik Schick with a superb save, but moments later, the Czech striker found space again and headed home from close range to seal the win for Bayer.
Despite controlling possession and pushing forward late in the match, Benfica failed to create any real danger in front of goal. The final whistle confirmed yet another European setback — a 1–0 defeat that leaves the Eagles rooted to the bottom of the Champions League.
2025-26 UEFA Champions League
Benfica - Bayer 04 0:1 (0:0)
Goals: Schick, 65 (0:1)
Benfica: Trubin; Dahl (Schjelderup, 69); Otamendi; Araújo T.; Barrenechea; Aursnes; Sudakov (Prestianni, 69); Pavlidis E.; Barreiro L. (Dedic A., 69); Ríos; Lukebakio
Substitution: Dedic A. (from 69); Schjelderup (from 69); Prestianni (from 69)
Bench: Soares S.; Obrador; Silva A.; Wynder; Veloso J.; Rego Joao; Prioste; Ivanović Fr.; Araujo P.
Yellow Cards: Lukebakio 62; Otamendi 78; Ríos 90
Bayer 04: Flekken; Quansah; Badé L.; Tapsoba E.; Arthur Soares; Grimaldo; Aleix Garcia; Echeverri (Tillman M., 57); Maza; Poku E. (Ben Seghir, 88); Kofane (Schick, 57)
Substitution: Tillman M. (from 57); Schick (from 57); Ben Seghir (from 88)
Bench: Blaswich; Lomb; Mensah; Belocian
Yellow Cards: Maza 41; Tapsoba E. 56; Tillman M. 79
