Foi using a rematch that Benfica left Ponta Delgada, in the Azores, in a 1-2 victory against Santa Clara, at the end of the ninth round of the I League. The Eagles had to suffer a lot to avoid losing sight of FC Porto even more.
With the two teams separated by one point in the standings, Santa Clara did not look at the statutes and looked the opponent eye to eye. The Azoreans began to press hard and add intensity to the match, which made Benfica’s first phase of construction difficult. It was no surprise, therefore, that in the 32nd minute, the home team took the lead through a penalty. Luís Fernando, on the kick, put the Azoreans at an advantage.
Benfica, who always had difficulty reaching the opponent’s goal with discretion, changed the direction of things in the second half and in the space of six minutes. Clube da Luz, which faced strong headwinds in the first half, benefited from small details to rescue the three points with a comeback in the second half.
The wind started to blow in favor and a cyclone called Prestianni appeared, leaving a lot of damage on the islands. In the 62nd minute, the Argentine headed towards the opposite area, dismantling the Azoreans’ wall, and assisted Pavlidis who finished to equalize (1-1). Six minutes later, the South American took advantage of the space given by his opponent, headed towards the area and beat Lucas França with a well-placed shot (68′).
The home team still tried to salvage a point until the final whistle, but Benfica managed to control the pace and ensure that they left the Azores with a short advantage on the scoreboard, in a game that ended with heated spirits and five red cards shown by referee Cláudio Pereira.
But let’s look at the notes for this match:
Figure
Gianluca Prestianni He is, without a doubt, the great figure in Marco Silva’s Benfica team. With another assist, another goal and many dangerous moves, the Argentine proved that he is one of the faces of this project and was the main driver in this important turnaround for the Reds in the Azores.
Surprise
Fernando It was a real puzzle for Benfica throughout the match. The Brazilian exploited the Eagles’ defensive passivity numerous times and was the one who created the most danger near Samuel Soares’ goal. He capped off his good performance with a goal.
Disillusionment
Georgiy Sudakov was one of Benfica’s most negative units in this match. Even though he entered with high determination and the desire to make a difference, the Ukrainian was missing shots, passes and was not the most competent in reacting to the loss of the ball. Came out at halftime.
Coaches
Petite
The Santa Clara coach has proven, every year, that he is not just a man who takes on difficult projects to free them from maintenance. The season at Santa Clara proves this, as the first defeat in the championship came in the ninth round. In this match, the Azoreans were competent and consistent at a defensive level, which made the Reds’ work much more difficult. The resistance lasted until the 60th minute, when Benfica scored the two winning goals.
Marco Silva
45 uncharacteristic minutes for Benfica, who closed the first half without creating any dangerous moves towards the opposite goal. Marco Silva made changes at half-time and changed Prestianni’s position on the pitch, reaping the rewards later. There were two goals in six minutes and then the ability to suffer prevented another surprise on the scoreboard. There could have been a goal or two until the final whistle, but the result didn’t change any further.
Arbitration
Claudio Pereira decided well on the penalty without resorting to VAR. Throughout the match, he was coherent and maintained his criteria, even though, in the first phase, he abused the yellow card.
