Hat-trick hero Pavlidis stars as Benfica succumbs to Barcelona        

Hat-trick hero Pavlidis stars as Benfica succumbs to Barcelona

lisbon portugal ronald araujo of fc barcelona scores an own goal scoring sl benficas fourth
LISBON, PORTUGAL – JANUARY 21: Ronald Araujo of FC Barcelona scores an own goal, scoring SL Benfica’s fourth goal during the UEFA Champions League 2024/25 League Phase MD7 match between SL Benfica and FC Barcelona at Estadio do SL Benfica on January 21, 2025 in Lisbon, Portugal. (Photo by Alex Pantling – UEFA/UEFA via Getty Images)

Vangelis Pavlidis stood tall as a chief protagonist in Benfica’s epic UEFA Champions League clash with Barcelona, scoring three times in their dramatic 4-5 away loss to the Catalonian outfit.

The Greek striker bagged his hat-trick inside the first thirty minutes of the contest on Wednesday morning (AEDT), giving the Portuguese side a 3-1 lead heading into half time.

His first came in just the second minute of the contest when he hit the ball home from close range following a low ball from the left.

The striker’s second came in shocking circumstances as he latched onto a ball outside the box following a collision between two Barcelona players in goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny and left back Alejandro Balde, with the Greek then guiding it into an empty net.

The marksman then sealed the hat-trick with a penalty into the bottom right (30′), wrapping up a stellar first half.

Pavlidis became just the second Greek to score a hat-trick since the competition was rebranded into the Champions League in 1992, with the first being Kostas Mitroglou when he scored all the goals in Olympiacos’ 3-0 win against Anderlecht in October 2013.

Despite his contributions, Benfica lost the contest 4-5 after a remarkable comeback by the Spanish heavyweights saw them overturn a 4-2 deficit.

The result will no doubt have dampened the mood of Pavlidis’ exemplary performance, though it does not take anything away from it as he etched his name among an esteemed list of players that have achieved the same feat.

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