Benfica beats Sporting 4-3 in Game 5 to win 10th national futsal title and back-to-back championships
Benfica defeated Sporting 4-3 in the decisive fifth game of the Portuguese futsal championship playoff final on Sunday, securing a second consecutive league title for the first time since the 2008/09 season.
Decisive Game 5 at the Pavilhão da Luz
Benfica and Sporting entered Game 5 with the playoff final tied at two wins apiece. All previous games in the series had been won by the home side, and the Luz faithful witnessed another dramatic derby. The hosts struck twice inside six minutes through Léo Gugiel and André Coelho. Gugiel, a goalkeeper playing in an advanced role, produced a spectacular long-range shot that went in off the crossbar, while Coelho converted a set piece to double the lead.
Sporting fought back before halftime, with Tomás Paçó reducing the deficit to 2-1 in the 14th minute after an assist from Allan Guilherme. The second half saw the visitors equalise at 2-2 when Diogo Santos capitalised on a defensive lapse in the 25th minute. Benfica responded immediately: a rebound fell to Silvestre Ferreira, who restored the lead at 3-2 a minute later. Paçó then levelled again for Sporting one minute after that, setting up a tense final ten minutes.
The winner came from a penalty. Edmilson Kutchy converted in the 30th minute to make it 4-3, a goal that ultimately decided the championship. The drama of the final was heightened by the absence of Sporting’s suspended player Zicky Té and the presence of several Benfica football stars watching from the stands, including Vangelis Pavlidis, Manu Silva, Tiago Gouveia, and director Simão Sabrosa.
Goal by goal timeline
- Léo Gugiel (Benfica) scores from long range — 1-0
- André Coelho (Benfica) scores from a set piece — 2-0
- Tomás Paçó (Sporting) finishes an assist by Allan Guilherme — 2-1
- Diogo Santos (Sporting) equalises after a defensive lapse — 2-2
- Silvestre Ferreira (Benfica) pounces on a rebound — 3-2
- Tomás Paçó (Sporting) scores his second to level again — 3-3
- Edmilson Kutchy (Benfica) converts a penalty for the winner — 4-3
Coach Cassiano Klein’s pre-match perspective
Before the match, Benfica coach Cassiano Klein had emphasised the importance of energy and intensity.
There are always some adjustments that cannot be made from one game to the next, but I think perhaps the biggest novelty will be the intensity that the teams will put into the game, the energy. In these last four games we’ve been able to perceive a great balance, with ever-improving intensity and organization. We have the opportunity to achieve three conquests in one season, which isn’t simple. For all these reasons, it also becomes such a special game. We will seek to deliver ourselves and fight hard in this clash. Ultimately, it’s us against ourselves. With all due respect to the opposing team, which has a beautiful history and great quality, but it’s us against ourselves. If we can do our best, things can happen as we want. Especially in front of our fans, who will generate enormous synergy.
Historic significance and João Matos’s farewell
The title is Benfica’s 10th national futsal championship and marks the first time the club has achieved back-to-back league victories since the 2008/09 campaign, when it was a three-time champion. The match also served as the final outing for Sporting captain João Matos, who retired after a career that set records for appearances and titles with the green-and-white club. The 11th derby of the season between the two rivals, including a first-ever meeting in the Champions League quarter-finals, underlined the intensity of the fixture.
