Ferrol’s Fast Start Trips Benfica Women in EuroCup Debut

Lisbon fans expecting an immediate statement in continental play will have to wait at least one more week. Benfica’s women’s basketball team opened its EuroCup Women campaign with an away defeat to Spain’s BAXI Ferrol, leaving the Portuguese champions already playing catch-up in a tightly packed group stage.

First warning shot from across the border

The encounter, staged on the Galician coast, pitted two sides that dominated their respective domestic leagues last spring. Ferrol, newly promoted yet unbeaten in the early rounds of the Liga Endesa, carried that momentum into Europe, while Benfica arrived as back-to-back holders of the Portuguese league and cup double. The contrast in rhythm was evident: Ferrol’s sharper ball movement and early 3-point barrage carved out a double-digit cushion before halftime, a gap the Eagles only partially closed in the closing minutes.

Where the game slipped away for the Eagles

Coach Eugénio Rodrigues admitted afterward that turnovers – 18 in total – “gifted the Spaniards at least 14 easy points”. Benfica’s front-court duo managed to dominate the offensive glass, but second-chance opportunities rarely translated into conversions. Ferrol’s switch-heavy defence forced the Lisbon side into late-clock heaves, holding them to their lowest shooting percentage of the young season. Point guard Lavra Gema—one of Ferrol’s summer pickups—tempo-controlled with poise, finishing with a near double-double that undercut every Benfica run.

Implications for Portuguese hopes in EuroCup Women

The EuroCup Women format does not forgive early stumbles: only the top two in each group advance automatically, while select third-placed teams sneak in on goal average. Benfica now faces the prospect of needing perfection at home, starting next Thursday at Pavilhão Fidelidade. The club’s hierarchy had openly targeted at least a quarter-final appearance after strengthening the roster with two WNBA-experienced forwards, but the margin for error narrowed sharply in Galicia.

Ferrol’s renaissance beyond expectation

For Portuguese supporters casually following Spanish hoops, BAXI Ferrol’s revival storyline warrants attention. After a five-year yo-yo spell between divisions, the club doubled its budget to €1.8M last summer, luring coach Lino López back and re-signing Beatriz Sánchez, a fixture on Spain’s silver-medal EuroBasket squad. Those moves produced an uptempo identity that already toppled Valencia in domestic play and now Benfica in Europe, marking Ferrol as a dark-horse in both competitions.

Post-game voices: contrasting moods

A visibly frustrated Maria João Bettencourt conceded Benfica “played the scoreboard instead of the possession,” hinting at mental lapses rather than tactical shortcomings. Across the mixed zone, Ferrol captain Sánchez offered an olive branch to Iberian neighbours: “Portuguese basketball is rising. Nights like this make the peninsula stronger.” Her remark struck a chord with the travelling supporters who had filled an entire section of A Malata arena.

What’s next for the Eagles

Benfica’s immediate concern is Saturday’s domestic tie against Quinta dos Lombos, but eyes are already on the return leg with Ferrol scheduled for early December in Lisbon. By then, group dynamics may render that clash do-or-die. Club executives confirmed to this newspaper that ticket prices will be cut by 25% for EuroCup fixtures to ensure a packed house—a recognition that home-court energy could be the difference between an early exit and a late-winter European run.

For the moment, though, the record reads 0-1, and Europe has reminded Portugal’s champions that reputations are reset the moment the first ball goes up.