It’s customary for the Champions League to overdeliver on drama but rarely quite like Tuesday night’s game between Barcelona and Benfica.

Benfica forward Vangelis Pavlidis has scored the third-fastest hat trick at the start of a Champions League game on Tuesday, against Barcelona. The Greece international scored two minutes into the match and then in the 22nd and 30th minutes as Benfica led Barcelona 3-1 at halftime.

Benfica are second in their domestic league, Primeira Liga, three points behind cross-city rivals Sporting Lisbon, but are 15th in the 36-team league stage in Europe. Barcelona are second in Europe with five wins and one defeat to date but are third in the Spanish top flight, seven points behind table-topping Real Madrid.

Barcelona pulled off a spectacular comeback as they defeated SL Benfica 4-5 at Estadio Da Luz, after having been down 3-1 at half-time. A brace from Robert Lewandowski from the penalty spot, coupled

Barcelona fight back from being two goals down twice to snatch a dramatic late victory away at Benfica to clinch their place in the Champions League last 16.