Ghana goalkeeper Lawrence Ati-Zigi produced a commanding performance between the sticks as Swiss side St Gallen secured a famous 2-1 victory over Portuguese giants Benfica in the first leg of their Europa League second qualifying round on Thursday night.The Black Stars shot-stopper was called into action early, making a vital save to deny Greek striker Vangelis Pavlidis after he was played through on goal. The ball fell invitingly to Georgiy Sudakov, but the Ukrainian’s follow-up effort was blocked, keeping the scores level as St. Gallen grew into the game.The hosts took a deserved lead in the 37th minute when Aliou Bald cut in from the left and fired an unstoppable snapshot past Benfica goalkeeper Anatoliy Trubin. The Eagles drew level just before half-time, with Rafa Silva slotting home coolly after being played through by Pavlidis.Benfica came out strongly in the second half, but they found an inspired Ati-Zigi in their path. The Ghanaian goalkeeper produced a flying save to deny a rasping Sudakov shot from the edge of the box and also thwarted efforts from Manu Silva as the Portuguese side pushed for a goal.His heroics proved crucial as St Gallen secured the winner in the 80th minute. Lukas Daschner swung a free-kick to the far post, where an unmarked Tom Gaal headed home to make it 2-1.The 2-1 victory leaves St Gallen with a slender advantage ahead of the return leg, which takes place at the Estdio da Luz in Lisbon on July 30. For Ati-Zigi, it was another reminder of his quality on the European stage, following his impressive displays for Ghana at the 2026 World Cup.
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