Robert Lewandowski was on the verge of making history in the tie against Benfica. FC Barcelona secured their ticket to the quarter-finals of the Champions League after achieving a hard-fought victory (0-1) and a crushing win (3-1) against the Lisbon team in the round of 16, but the star scorer of the azulgrana team went blank in both matches against Bruno Lage's side.
Despite playing an important role for the team in marking the center-backs and creating space in the area of Anatoliy Trubin, the Polish player was unlucky in front of goal and could not score against his favorite victim in the continental competition.
In the 126 matches he has played in the Champions League, the forward has scored against 37 teams, with the 'Eagles' being the opponent he has scored the most goals against (9) since October 19, 2011, when he scored his first goal in the tournament against Olympiacos while wearing the jersey of Borussia Dortmund.
| COUNTRY | CLUBS |
|---|---|
| España | FC Barcelona, Real Madrid, Atlético de Madrid, Villarreal y Málaga |
| Italia | Roma, Juventus, Lazio, Inter de Milán y Napoli |
| Inglaterra | Arsenal, Manchester City, Tottenham y Chelsea |
| Francia | Olympique de Marsella, Brest, Olympique de Lyon y Paris Saint-Germain |
| Países Bajos | Ajax y PSV Eindhoven |
| Portugal | Oporto y Benfica |
| Grecia | Olympiacos y AEK Atenas |
| Bélgica | Anderlecht y Royal Antwerp |
| Rusia | Zenit de San Petersburgo y Rostov |
| Ucrania | Shahktar Donetsk y Dinamo de Kiev |
| Alemania | Bayern Múnich |
| Croacia | Dinamo Zagreb |
| Turquía | Besiktas |
| Serbia | Estrella Roja de Belgrado |
| Austria | RB Salzburg |
| República Checa | Viktoria Plzen |
| Suiza | Young Boys |
Lewandowski remains unbeaten against Benfica
Despite not being able to break Trubin's goal, Lewandowski remains unbeaten against Benfica. The forward has faced the Portuguese team 9 times (6 with Bayern Munich and 3 with Barça), with a record of 8 wins and 1 draw.
The 9 goals he has celebrated against the 'Eagles' are spread over 5 group stage matches: a brace and a goal in both matches of the 2018-2019 season, a 'hat-trick' and another solitary goal in the two clashes of the 2021-2022 season, and finally, a new brace in the league match of the current edition of the tournament (2024/25).
⚽Teams Robert Lewandowski has scored the most goals against in the Champions League:
- Benfica: 9 goals
- Red Star Belgrade: 7 goals
- Real Madrid: 6 goals
- RB Salzburg: 6 goals
- Ajax: 5 goals
- GNK Dinamo: 5 goals
- Olympiacos: 5 goals
- Arsenal: 4 goals
- FC Barcelona: 4 goals
- Chelsea: 3 goals
Lewandowski is on the verge of history
If he had managed to score against Benfica, Lewandowski could have reached two impressive milestones. If the Pole had 'scored' in the return match of the round of 16 of the Champions League last Tuesday against Benfica, the forward would have a total of 94 goals as a Barça player, tying with two azulgrana legends like Ronaldinho and Bakero in the club's all-time scoring ranking.
Additionally, he would have equaled Cristiano Ronaldo as the player who has scored the most goals against the same opponent in the Champions League. The Portuguese has scored 10 goals against Juventus, which is the highest scoring record of a player against an opponent in the tournament. Interestingly, 'CR7' has also scored 9 times against Benfica, sharing the record with 'Lewy', who will now look to break his drought of three matches without scoring in the European competition in the quarter-finals.
Despite this poor streak in front of goal at the continental level, Lewandowski occupies the third position in the top scorers ranking of the tournament with 9 goals, tied with Harry Kane. Ahead of the two 'stars' are Serhou Guirassy (10) and Raphinha (11), who thanks to the brace celebrated against the Eagles climbed to the top position of the ranking.