Albion draw with Benfica in International Cup opener

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Charlie Hanson

2025-11-21T21:30+00:00

Miah Oriola celebrates after scoring from the penalty spot. 📷 by James Boardman.

Albion began their Premier League International Cup campaign with a 1-1 draw with Benfica on Friday night.

The Champions League-esque competition will see our under-21s face Real Sociedad and PSG in December, before taking on Dinamo Zagreb in January, with the top two from each of the four groups – which are made up of eight teams in each – qualifying for the knockout stage.

The opener in this contest came thanks to a well worked free-kick from 30 yards out with 32 minutes gone. Jesse Middleton played the ball out to Miah Oriola on the right who fed it down the side of the box for Younes Ibrahim. He dug out a decent cross into the middle that Callum Mackley went to head but was taken out from behind by Ivan Lima.

Miah Oriola showed a cool head to put Albion 1-0 up on the night. 📷 by James Boardman.

Oriola – who made his Premier League debut at the start of this month – fired down the middle from the resulting spot-kick to put his side in front.

Benfica screamed for a penalty of their own five minutes before half-time when the ball flicked up off Charlie Penman, although the following touch appeared to hit him in the face rather than his arm.

Francisco Neto had a drive from 25-yards in the last minute of the first half, but it was straight down the throat of Steven Hall who was otherwise untested in the first 45 minutes.

Younes Ibrahim brings the ball forward. 📷 by James Boardman.

Substitute Harry Howell's lovely run 20 minutes into the second half cut straight through the Benfica midfield, but his strike from range was an easy one for keeper Ricardo Ribeiro to dive down on.

he visitors found an equaliser though with 12 minutes to play. Kevin Pinto was allowed far too much space down the Albion left, bolting into the box before passing the ball into the bottom right corner from close.

The goal stoked the Benfica fire and the Portuguese side looked the more likely to find a winner as Charlie Tasker blocked a Joao Goncalves curler from inside the box before Hall tipped over Jelani Treusian's drive from the edge of the box.

The pressure would go unrewarded though as both teams settled for a point. Shannon Ruth's team are in cup action again on Tuesday as they face Woking in the National League Cup.

Albion: Hall, Mackley (Tasker 46), Barclay, Atom, Penman (Howell 62), Keogh, Middleton, Knight (Owusu 77), Oriola (West 77), Ibrahim, Brett (Belmont 83).