UWCL 2023-24: Benfica snaps Barcelona winning streak; Slavia Prague saves point and pride at Lyon

Lucy Bronze preserved Barcelona’s unbeaten run but Benfica snapped the holders’ 23-match winning streak in a 4-4 draw in its final Women’s Champions League group match on Wednesday.

FC Barcelona’s Ariana Arias during the Women’s Champions League match against Benfica. | Photo Credit: REUTERS

Lucy Bronze preserved Barcelona’s unbeaten run but Benfica snapped the holders’ 23-match winning streak in a 4-4 draw in its final Women’s Champions League group match on Wednesday.

Bronze also made up for her own embarrassment in a seesaw match that defied its dead rubber tag, after the English defender scored an 81st-minute own goal that put Benfica 4-3 up.

She levelled deep into time added on, leaving the Spanish champions on 16 points in Group A ahead of runners-up Benfica on nine.

Lyon, Brann, Paris Saint-Germain, Chelsea, Ajax and Haecken are also in the hat for next Tuesday’s quarterfinal draw.

Barca scored first through Caroline Graham Hansen and Particia Guijaro made it 2-0 on 20 minutes, but Marie-Yasmine Alidou scored a brace for Benfica to pull them level before half-time.

Hansen got her second in the 54th minute before Jessica Silva equalised for the hosts and Bronze’s own goal appeared to have given the Portuguese a surprise win until she struck at the other end.

Eintracht Frankfurt thumped Rosengard 5-0 to finish on seven points but both sides were already out.

Earlier, Slavia Prague dug deep for a 2-2 draw in its final group match at Group B winners Lyon thanks to a last-gasp own goal.

Lyon topped the group on 14 points, one ahead of Brann who beat St Polten 2-1, with both games being dead rubbers.

Lyon won the reverse fixture 9-0 over the Czechs and took a fourth-minute lead Wednesday when Amel Majri finished off a flying counter-attack.

But Slavia equalised five minutes later with only their second goal of the competition, while ‘keeper Olivie Lukasova made a string of saves to keep the visitors level.

Lyon was fortunate Vicki Becho’s 74th-minute tap-in stood after a handball in the build-up, but defender Vanessa Gilles scored an own goal late in the game from a sliding tackle to send the Czech outfit home with a semblance of pride.