The first upset of the UEFA Champions League season is now officially recorded, with Azerbaijan’s Qarabag achieving their inaugural victory in the competition with a thrilling 3-2 win against Benfica.

Benfica, who had reached the last sixteen in last year’s Champions League and also participated in this summer’s Club World Cup, initially took a 2-0 lead within just 16 minutes thanks to goals from Enzo Barrenechea and Vangelis Pavlidis. They were anticipated to secure an easy win. However, Qarabag staged a remarkable comeback, which commenced with Leandro Andrade’s goal in the 30th minute. They equalized with a strike from Camilo Duran in the 48th minute and seized the lead for the first time in the 86th minute, as Oleksiy Kashchuk scored from close range.

The turn ✨ the finish 💥
Oleksii Kashchuk delivers an 85th minute winner for Qarabağ 👏 pic.twitter.com/qhH8UjjD90 — CBS Sports Golazo ⚽️ (@CBSSportsGolazo) September 16, 2025

This victory marks a significant milestone for Qarabag, making them the first Azerbaijani team to record a win in the Champions League after a long journey from Baku to Lisbon. Although this may now be Qarabag’s most noteworthy accomplishment, the Azerbaijani champions have amassed a distinguished list of accomplishments, indicating they could emerge as a competitive force in this season’s tournament.

How did Qarabag beat Benfica?

Qarabag began the match strongly but Benfica quickly took command, launching four shots and scoring twice by the 16th minute, while the visitors had yet to take a shot. Nevertheless, the Azerbaijani side turned their fortunes around with their first shot in the 30th minute courtesy of Andrade, finishing the half with momentum. At half-time, Qarabag had outshot Benfica 6 to 5 and held 1.15 expected goals against 0.66 for the home team.

Leandro Andrade drills one in for Qarabağ 💥 pic.twitter.com/agRuwyiGjq — CBS Sports Golazo ⚽️ (@CBSSportsGolazo) September 16, 2025

In the second half, Benfica intensified their efforts, outshooting Qarabag 9 to 4, but both teams struggled with shot quality after halftime. Duran’s equalizer in the 48th minute placed additional pressure on Benfica to regain their lead, yet the Portuguese team managed to direct only one of their nine shots on target during the second half. This set the stage for Kashchuk’s decisive goal in the 86th minute, capitalizing on Benfica’s unproductive outing at Estadio da Luz in Lisbon.

Marko Janković with the vision, Camilo Durán with the Qarabağ equalizer 🎯 pic.twitter.com/E0qvgyzszQ — CBS Sports Golazo ⚽️ (@CBSSportsGolazo) September 16, 2025

Who’s on Qarabag’s team?

Qarabag’s roster is largely comprised of homegrown talent, yet it features several international players, including all the goalscorers from Tuesday’s match. Andrade, a Cape Verde international who honed his skills at Benfica’s rival Academy, has been their top scorer last season and has netted three goals in eight contests so far this season.

Their management is led by Gurban Gurbanov, Azerbaijan’s all-time leading goal scorer, who has overseen the team since 2008.

How did Qarabag qualify for the Champions League?

Qarabag began their Champions League journey in the second round and triumphed over Shelbourne from Ireland, Shkendija from North Macedonia, and Ferencvaros from Hungary to advance to the Champions League league phase.

What is Qarabag’s history in European competition?

Qarabag, the twelve-time winners of the Azerbaijan Premier League who have captured all but one league title since the 2013-14 season, became the first team from their nation to reach the Champions League group stage in the 2017-18 season, where they were eliminated. They have repeatedly competed in the UEFA Europa League, reaching the knockout stage most recently in the 2023-24 season before narrowly missing out against Bayer Leverkusen in an aggregate score of 5-4, representing their deepest run in any European competition. Additionally, they have participated in the UEFA Conference League on two occasions, making it to the knockout stages each time.

Qarabag’s remaining Champions League schedule

• Matchday 2: Copenhagen (h)
• Matchday 3: Athletic Club (a)
• Matchday 4: Chelsea (h)
• Matchday 5: Napoli (a)
• Matchday 6: Ajax (h)
• Matchday 7: Eintracht Frankfurt (h)
• Matchday 8: Liverpool (a)