THE Benfica continues its unstoppable journey in the single league phase of the Europa League. On Thursday night, the most recent victim was Lech Poznán, with the Poles being the fourth team that the Luz club has defeated after four games in this round. The 3-1 victory brings the Eagles closer to the round of 16, in a match that showed, once again, that the Reds’ second lines also provide a good response.
At Estádio da Luz, in Lisbon, Marco Silva once again promoted a high rotation of the starting team, but the victory was never in question. In the sixth minute of the match, Rafa Silva broke the score after a low cross from Schjelderup that was not successfully deflected by goalkeeper Lis.
Benfica was always on top in the match from the start, but only reached the second goal after the hour mark, and after Trubin had denied what seemed like a certain deflection into the back of Walemark’s net.
From the bench came the usual Argentine magic that ended up leading to the Reds’ triumph. Prestianni, just introduced, ‘broke the kidneys’ of Portuguese right-back Joel Pereira and, already inside the penalty area, made it 2-0 with a strong, low and placed shot.
The visitors reentered the discussion about the result after another gross error by Enzo Barrenechea, returning to the competition after injury, who literally ‘offered’ the ball to Bengtsson so he could shoot to count. There was fear of an increase in Lech Poznán’s performance in the final stretch, but Sudakov, on top of regular time, closed the accounts and put an end to any doubts.
Four games and four wins leave Benfica at the top of the table, thanks to the best goal difference, with the same 12 points as Bournemouth and Ferencváros. The next round is at the home of Viktoria Plzen, from the Czech Republic, and from there, direct qualification to the round of 16 of the competition can come. Or, at least, that goal will get closer.
But let’s look at the notes for this match:
Figure
After a more inconsistent start to the season, the Ukrainian Sudakov He is taking advantage of the minutes he has had and proving that he is a valid bet for Marco Silva. He played in two positions last night – he started at number 8 – and ended up increasing his production when he advanced on the field of play. He was involved in Prestianni’s goal and fixed the final result in Luz.
Surprise
If Lech Poznán leaves Luz with a smaller defeat, they owe a lot to the goalkeeper Mateusz Lis. Even though he could have done more with the first goal, the Pole made good saves that kept his team connected to the match.
Disillusionment
Michal Gurgul it was the most negative unit on the Polish side. In the first half, both Rafa Silva and Daniel Banjaqui were masters of the right wing, against a Pole who managed to do little to counter the Eagles’ dynamics.
Coaches
Marco Silva
Good entry from Benfica, who scored early in the match. The Eagles could have scored more goals until half-time, but they lacked efficiency. Prestianni’s goal seemed to have reassured the team, but the coach’s changes ended up having the opposite effect and the team lost its way momentarily. The Poles scored, reopening the discussion, but Benfica maintained their concentration and ended up delivering the final blow in the 90′.
Niels Frederiksen
After 45 minutes without creating much danger near the red goal, the Poles took advantage of a moment of greater uncertainty on the Eagles’ side to cast some doubts on the discussion about the result. Even so, Benfica’s greatest European experience in these disputes ended up weighing down.
Arbitration
Competent work by the Slovenian Martin Matosawho decided well both at a technical and disciplinary level.
