UEFA Champions League · 2024

Barcelona 3–1 Benfica · UEFA Champions League

3–1Historical match

Benfica

LWWDL

A completed match from a finished season. This page is the record of what happened.

Match at a glance

Barcelona won 3–1.

Shots
208
Shots on target
62
Expected goals
2.520.74
Possession
65%35%

Full time

What the match recorded

Barcelona beat Benfica 3–1. Recorded in this match (Barcelona – Benfica): shots 20–8, shots on target 6–2, expected goals 2.52–0.74, possession 65%–35%. This is what was recorded. It is not a claim that the result was foreseeable.

Pre-match record

What the data showed before kick-off. Kept for reference; it did not know the result.

Benfica's recent record differs from the season

weak

Benfica's last-five goals scored average is below their season average.

1.4 goals/match ▲Goals forLast 5 · Season1.75 goals/match
Evidence and caveat

Comparison: An unweighted last-five average is compared with the unweighted season average.

Window: last_5 versus season

MetricLast 5SeasonBaseline
Goals for1.4 goals/match1.75 goals/match1.6 goals/match

Caveat: Five matches are sensitive to opponent mix and isolated match states.

The teams have contrasting possession records

strong

Barcelona have recorded the higher season possession share.

61.1% ●PossessionBarcelona · Benfica44.3%
Evidence and caveat

Comparison: The recorded possession gap is 16.9 percentage points.

Window: season

MetricBarcelonaBenficaBaseline
Possession61.1%44.3%50.8%

Caveat: Possession share does not show where possession occurred or how chances were created.

Barcelona show a distinct attacking-volume record

weak

Barcelona's shot volume and the opposing shot-allowance context sit above their competition baselines.

15.8 shots/match ▲ShotsBarcelona · Benfica14.3 shots/match
Evidence and caveat

Comparison: Team shot volume is paired with the opponent's recorded shot allowance.

Window: season

MetricBarcelonaBenficaBaseline
Shots15.8 shots/match14.3 shots/match12.9 shots/match
Shots against10.4 shots/match13.7 shots/match13 shots/match

Caveat: Shot volume describes activity; it does not establish finishing quality or a match outcome.

This match

Match statistics

  • Shots20 shots8 shotsBarcelona 20 shots, Benfica 8 shots
  • Shots on target6 shots2 shotsBarcelona 6 shots, Benfica 2 shots
  • Expected goals2.52 xG0.74 xGBarcelona 2.52 xG, Benfica 0.74 xG
  • Possession65%35%Barcelona 65%, Benfica 35%
  • Corners1 corner6 cornersBarcelona 1 corner, Benfica 6 corners
  • Fouls4 fouls8 foulsBarcelona 4 fouls, Benfica 8 fouls

Every shot

Shot map

Every recorded shot, placed where it was taken and sized by its expected-goals value. Arrows show each team’s attacking direction.

Lamine Yamal · Barcelona · 24′ · 0.02 xG · off target or blockedSamuel Dahl · Benfica · 78′ · 0.02 xG · off target or blockedPedri · Barcelona · 2′ · 0.03 xG · off target or blockedLamine Yamal · Barcelona · 53′ · 0.03 xG · off target or blockedLeandro Barreiro · Benfica · 77′ · 0.03 xG · off target or blockedLamine Yamal · Barcelona · 27′ · 0.04 xG · goalDani Olmo · Barcelona · 45′ · 0.04 xG · off target or blockedAntónio Silva · Benfica · 78′ · 0.04 xG · off target or blockedGavi · Barcelona · 87′ · 0.04 xG · off target or blockedRenato Sanches · Benfica · 80′ · 0.05 xG · off target or blockedRaphinha · Barcelona · 40′ · 0.06 xG · off target or blockedFerran Torres · Barcelona · 74′ · 0.07 xG · off target or blockedRonald Araújo · Barcelona · 49′ · 0.08 xG · off target or blockedVangelis Pavlidis · Benfica · 66′ · 0.08 xG · on targetRaphinha · Barcelona · 42′ · 0.09 xG · goalLamine Yamal · Barcelona · 6′ · 0.10 xG · on targetRobert Lewandowski · Barcelona · 10′ · 0.10 xG · on targetMarc Casadó · Barcelona · 88′ · 0.10 xG · off target or blockedRobert Lewandowski · Barcelona · 41′ · 0.11 xG · on targetLamine Yamal · Barcelona · 11′ · 0.12 xG · off target or blockedFerran Torres · Barcelona · 87′ · 0.12 xG · off target or blockedSamuel Dahl · Benfica · 77′ · 0.13 xG · off target or blockedZeki Amdouni · Benfica · 86′ · 0.16 xG · off target or blockedMarc Casadó · Barcelona · 88′ · 0.16 xG · off target or blockedNicolás Otamendi · Benfica · 13′ · 0.25 xG · goalDani Olmo · Barcelona · 20′ · 0.26 xG · off target or blockedRaphinha · Barcelona · 11′ · 0.42 xG · goalFrenkie de Jong · Barcelona · 65′ · 0.55 xG · off target or blocked
  • off target
  • on target
  • goal
  • penalty
  • size = xG

Barcelona: 20 shots, 6 on target, 2.54 xG. Benfica: 8 shots, 2 on target, 0.76 xG.

How the match built

Expected-goals timeline

Expected goals accumulated minute by minute. Circles mark the goals that were actually scored.

01.530′HT90′Raphinha · Barcelona · 11′Lamine Yamal · Barcelona · 27′Raphinha · Barcelona · 42′Nicolás Otamendi · Benfica · 13′

The step line is cumulative expected goals; circles mark goals. Final: Barcelona 2.54 xG · Benfica 0.76 xG.

History

Head-to-head

Recent meetings between these teams.

Last 5 meetings

2Barcelona
1Draws
1Benfica
Benfica — Barcelona · UEFA Champions League0–1
Benfica — Barcelona · UEFA Champions League4–5
Barcelona — Benfica · UEFA Champions League0–0
Benfica — Barcelona · UEFA Champions League3–0

Head-to-Head & Recent Meetings

Metric comparison

Team comparison

Season averages, with the sample size beside each metric.

Where the edge is

Season: Barcelona favored in 8 of 11 directional metrics · Benfica in 1 · 2 too close

led this metric higher value (descriptive) too close

Window

Season

Barcelona10 matchesBenfica12 matches
3.2 goals/match ▲Goals scored10/121.75 goals/match
1.4 goals/match ▲Goals allowed10/121.58 goals/match
2.46 xG/match ▲Expected goals10/122.01 xG/match
15.8 shots/match ▲Shots10/1214.3 shots/match
6.7 shots/match ▲Shots on target10/125.67 shots/match
61.1% ●Possession10/1244.3%
4.6 corners/matchCorners10/12● 5.08 corners/match
8.9 fouls/matchFouls10/1210.8 fouls/match

Evidence quality

How much supports this analysis

Grade A · Strong evidenceStrong evidence — limited
Season samples10 / 12home / away teams
Recent samples5 / 5last-five windows
FreshnessLess than one dayfrom nearest prior match
  • The fixture is outside the configured active season.
  • Recent samples and important metric coverage meet the strong evidence threshold.

Known unknowns

  • Lineups, injuries, suspensions and tactical changes are not available in the retained dataset.
  • Some metrics are unavailable or below their observation minimum: cards.
  • The fixture season differs from the competition's configured active season.
Analysis cutoff: Tue, 11 Mar 2025, 21:45 UTC · analysis-v4

Team rankings in UEFA Champions League

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