PENAFIEL, Portugal (Interstat) — Vizela U23 erased a two-goal deficit and beat Penafiel U23 3-2 on Tuesday, scoring three unanswered goals after falling behind early in the match. Penafiel U23 appeared in control after Thomas Teixeira and Denis Parkinson scored in the opening 31 minutes, but Vizela U23 responded through Lucas Antanon and added two second-half goals to complete the comeback. The result moved Vizela U23’s competition record to 3 wins, 1 loss and 1 draw, and its record across all competitions to 3 wins, 1 loss and 1 draw. Penafiel U23’s competition record is now 1 win, 1 loss and 1 draw, matching its record across all competitions.

Penafiel U23 opened the scoring in the 27th minute when Teixeira found the net. Parkinson doubled the home side’s lead in the 31st minute, putting Penafiel U23 ahead 2-0. Vizela U23 cut into the deficit in first-half stoppage time when Antanon scored in the 45+3 minute. The goal gave Vizela U23 momentum entering halftime and changed the flow of the contest. Penafiel U23 had controlled the early stages, but Vizela U23 began to find more space as the first half wore on and the home side dropped deeper to protect its lead.

Vizela U23’s goal just before halftime proved important. Before that strike, Penafiel U23 had built its lead through quick finishes and had limited Vizela U23’s clearest chances. The visitors emerged after the interval with more possession and pushed numbers forward in search of an equalizer, while Penafiel U23 tried to hold its advantage and threaten on the break.

Antanon’s goal was his only strike of the match, and he played all 90 minutes. Teixeira also played 90 minutes and scored once for Penafiel U23, while Parkinson played the full match and scored once. Those three players provided the key attacking returns in a game that turned on Vizela U23’s second-half pressure. Vizela U23 equalized in the 60th minute and then scored the winner in the 84th minute, completing the rally after trailing by two goals. The visitors did not record a named scorer for either of those final two goals in the available match information, but the goals completed a decisive turnaround.

Vizela U23 improved to 3 wins, 1 loss and 1 draw in the competition after entering the match with previous results that included a loss to Felgueiras U23, a win at Gil Vicente U23, a draw at Leixoes U23 and a home win over SC Farense U23. Penafiel U23 moved to 1 win, 1 loss and 1 draw in the competition. Its previous results this season included a scoreless draw at Academico Viseu U23 and a home win over Benfica U23. Both sides now have matching competition and all-competitions records, with Vizela U23 at 3-1-1 overall and Penafiel U23 at 1-1-1 overall.

The match featured an early 2-0 lead for Penafiel U23, but Vizela U23’s response made the difference. After Antanon’s goal before the break, Vizela U23 carried the better attacking rhythm into the second half. The 60th-minute goal leveled the match, and the 84th-minute goal gave the visitors their first lead of the game. Penafiel U23 could not find a response in the closing minutes, and Vizela U23 closed out the victory. The comeback marked Vizela U23’s third win of the competition season and handed Penafiel U23 its first loss in the competition.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of Penafiel U23 2, Vizela U23 0. Interstat’s ELO system had projected Penafiel U23 with a 71.4 percent probability to win. Penafiel U23 had been installed as a pregame favorite with a spread of -0.5. The total score of 5 went under the over/under line of 2.5.