Magic and maturity in the 20th game of the season without losing! Benfica secured a place among the 16 best teams in Europe today by beating Juventus in a game with seven goals (4-3). With one of the most spectacular choreographies to have created the stands of Estádio da Luz in 19 years, António Silva opened the doors to the round of 16 of the Champions League and Rafa Silva closed them with art.
The latest scare does not take away the merit or brilliance of the red victory, which guaranteed the eighth and more 9.6 million euros (in a total of more than 58 million raised so far). It is the seventh time Benfica fans have qualified for the knockout stage and if they do not lose in Israel, they will break the record for points in a group stage of the Champions League (12 or 14 points) on the final day.
PSG also qualified after beating Maccabi Haifa (7-2).
Roger Schmidt repeated the eleven he presented against both FC Porto and Paris Saint-Germain (PSG), in Parques dos Príncipes. It was from the bench that David Neres saw the red team come into play strong and pressing, putting seven/eight players in front of the entrance to the Italian territory and giving Juventus no room to think.
If António Silva was in the news in the first round for his exemplary display and the raised finger to Bonucci’s face, the young central player fared even better today. It was he who opened the score in the 17th minute by subtly deflecting the ball towards the goal, after a cross from Enzo. The centre-back, who was not yet born when Luz was inaugurated (October 25, 2003), made his debut to score, becoming the third youngest (18 years, 11 months and 25 days) to score for the Eagles in the race, to Goncalo Guedes and António Simões.
THE vecchia signora, who even had to win, had to play a part in the reaction. And the truth is, he didn’t respond the first time. Vlahovic equalized in a confusing bid and needed VAR to clear any doubts about the legality of the bid. But the night was red, as two goals in seven minutes proved. A hand (which seemed involuntary) by Cuadrado gave Benfica a chance to take the lead again. Work of the left foot of João Mário.
The official penalty scorer went to the 11-meter to make it 2-1, before giving Rafa a moment of brilliance. Number ten crossed low for number 27 to appear in Szczesny’s face and deflect the ball into the back goal. pure magic. It has been 11 years since Benfica scored three first-half goals in a Champions League match.
Hat and scare to fold
Returning from the break, Rafa showed that he is a player who is capable of the best when nurtured. And affection was not lacking. After creating imbalances using his speed and scoring a masterful goal in the first 45 minutes, Benfica’s number 27 defeated Szczesny again at the start of the second half.
A goal that completed Schmidt’s tactical defeat to Allegri or the illusion of a win against Juventus that seemed dead in mind after 50 minutes of play. It seemed… The outstanding individual and collective weapons of the vecchia signora easily bypassed the dark scene. Much to Samuel Iling’s fault, Juve started creating danger with dead balls and then materializing the opportunities created in goals. First by Arkadiusz Milik and then by Weston McKennie.
Two vague goals left Luz worried before Schmidt (finally) changed the team to give aggressive transitions with David Neres and Musa and Rafa giving the deserved ovation despite the scandalous loss seconds before. He ran more than 100 feet on his own to hit the post! He did not hide his disappointment.
Allegri, who put it on Gatti instead of Rugani at the start, saw the midfielder miss the chance to equalize after 90 minutes. And so, Benfica added its sixth win (in eight games) against the Italians.
SEE THE GAME’S SEVEN GOALS
1-0 Antonio Silva (Benfica)
1-1 Vlahovic (Juventus)
2-1 Joao Mario (Benfica)
3-1 Rafa (Benfica)
4-1 Rafa (Benfica)
4-2 Arkadiusz Milik (Juventus) and 4-3 Weston McKennie (Juventus)
Source: DN
