Benfica opened their European League campaign with a 28-26 defeat to German side Melsungen on Tuesday, failing to capitalize on an early lead and a late rally in Kassel.
The Portuguese team initially took the lead, commanding scores such as 3-2 and 4-3. Melsungen quickly responded, however, establishing control after the 5-5 mark.
The German club opened a four-goal advantage, reaching 9-5. They maintained this control into halftime, leading Benfica 14-12.
The second half saw Benfica struggle to close the gap. A tactical shift to a seven-on-six attack proved unsuccessful, leading to multiple errors.
Melsungen capitalized on these mistakes to extend their lead to five goals, holding a 24-19 advantage with ten minutes left. Benfica mounted a late push, reducing the deficit to two goals (27-25) in the final three minutes.
Despite the late resurgence, the German side managed the closing minutes effectively to secure their 28-26 victory.
The match also featured brothers Gabriel Cavalcanti playing for Benfica and Alexandre Cavalcanti for Melsungen. In another Group E fixture, Hungary’s Ferencvaros defeated Sweden’s Karlskrona 31-29.