Andre Schembri described his goal against Portuguese giants Benfica as something of a dream come true as he played for Boavista in a thrilling 3-3 draw against the Primeira Liga leaders at the mythical Stadium of Light, last weekend.

Schembri maintained his rich vein of form for Boavista when he netted his team’s third goal as the Panthers raced into a 3-0 lead midway through the first half.

Iuri Medeiros had opened the score on 14 minutes before setting up Lucas De Lima for the second six minutes later.

Benfica, who are unbeaten at home this season, were stunned and Medeiros squared the ball to Schembri on 25 minutes and the Malta striker duly stabbed the ball inside an empty net.

However, Boavista’s hopes of a shock win were dashed as the hosts recovered and after Konstantinos Mitroglou pulled one back before half-time, Benfica went on to level the match with goals from Jonas (53 penalty) and a Fabio Espinho own goal 15 minutes later.

Boavista held on for the draw as they remain 11th in the standings on 21 points. They travel to mid-table side Arouca on Sunday.

“I’m enjoying my stint in Portugal with a prestigious club like Boavista,” Schembri told Times of Malta.

“Before, I had never played against a top team like Benfica and to score against them at their own stadium and with more than 65,000 spectators present made the occasion even more special.

“Unfortunately, we could not hold on to our three-goal advantage as Benfica showed their true class with a strong fightback.

“Few people gave us a chance but we produced a very positive showing. I think we can still be proud of ourselves after such a great performance against the biggest club in Portugal.”

For Schembri, Saturday’s goal came just a week after he had also starred in a 1-0 win over Vitoria Setubal when he procured the winning penalty in the first half.

“As I said I’m really happy at Boavista,” Schembri, formerly of Omonia Nicosia, said.

“You have to show great commitment on and off the pitch to keep your place at Boavista but I’m training really hard at the moment and my efforts have not gone unnoticed with the technical staff.

“The coach said he was happy with my contribution. We’ve started the new year on a better note and we’re all determined to keep it going. Personally, I want to keep my place in the team and help Boavista achieve their objectives for the season.”