At the Fidelidade Pavilion, inside the Estádio da Luz, four days after a 2–2 draw in the 16th round of the Portuguese futsal league, the teams went into halftime level. Bruno Pinto opened the scoring for the “Lions” in the 15th minute, before Jacaré equalised for the “Eagles” at 19 minutes.
In the second half, Alex Merlim put Sporting ahead in the 28th minute, with Benfica drawing level through Arthur at 31. Zicky Té restored Sporting’s lead just 39 seconds later, Raúl Moreira made it 3–3 in the 33rd minute, and Diego Nunes struck at 40 minutes to seal Benfica’s win, completing a comeback from three deficits.
The two Portuguese sides meet again on 6 March in the second leg, at the Pavilhão João Rocha, also in Lisbon. The match will decide a place in the competition’s ‘final four’, which will be held in Pesaro, Italy, from 8 to 10 May.
