This Wednesday, Benfica defeated Sporting again 4-1, this time counting for the first leg of the semi-final of the League Cup for women’s football, and took a big step towards the final of the competition.
Just four days after beating the Lionesses 5-0, at Estádio da Luz, in the quarter-finals of the Portuguese Cup, the Reds were once again undeniably superior to the Green & Whites, scoring two goals in each half of the match, by Cloé Lacasse (16 and 42 minutes), Jéssica Silva (69) and Kika Nazareth (77), against Chandra Davidson’s (55) only goal for the visitors.
Benfica immediately showed that it was looking for repetition and needed less than a minute of the game to create the first chances. Hannah Seabert saved Cloé Lacasse’s shot (20 seconds) and Pauleta (56 seconds) shot centimeters from the opposing goal post.
The Eagles’ goal finally came after another move from Cloé Lacasse on the left flank. The Canadian offered the goal to Jéssica Silva, who arrived too late for the detour, but Catarina Amado, insistent, gave it back to Lacasse (16), who only had to hit the nets in the small area.
Benfica 4-1 Sporting ⚽ Watch the summary of the first leg of the semi-finals of the Women’s League Cup.#Channel11 #FutebolEmPortuguese pic.twitter.com/bsfnnuADx5
– Channel 11 (@Canal_11Official) January 25, 2023
Benfica’s chances followed and Cloé Lacasse (42) scored twice in the first half, completing a perfect triangulation with Kika Nazareth and Jéssica Silva after Sporting lost the ball in the attacking structure.
Only then did the green-whites create any danger and it was after mistakes by Benfica.
First Rute Costa mishandled a long ball and was anticipated by Ana Capeta (45), but the striker let the ball slip through the bottom line; then Pauleta offered the ball to Chandra Davidson, but the Canadian went too far and lost the ball to the opposing goalkeeper.
Sporting even narrowed the deficit through Chandra Davidson (55), completing a counter-attack she led herself and had some luck in a rebound, after sharing with Jéssica Silva, to gain position for a shot into the area of the opponent.
But Benfica managed to make it 3-1 through Jéssica Silva (69), unmarked by a 50-yard pass from Pauleta, before Sporting’s Fátima Dutra (72), with two hard fouls on opponents in less than a minute, was excluded by accumulation of yellow.
Benfica’s dominance was already undeniable and, in numerical superiority, showed with another goal from Kika Nazerth (70), at the end of an individual play by Lacasse on the bottom line.
The second leg is scheduled for February 8 at Academia de Alcochete, where the Lionesses will have the tough task of recovering from a three-goal deficit if they want to reach the final of the competition.
game sheet
I play at Benfica Futebol Campus, in Seixal.
Attendance: about 500 spectators.
Referee: Sandra Bastos (AF Aveiro).
– Benfica: Rute Costa, Ana Seiça, Carole Costa, Lúcia Alves, Catarina Amado (Bibocas, 85), Pauleta, Kika Nazareth (Nycole Raysla, 78), Andreia Norton (Christy Ucheibe, 78), Ana Vitória (Andreia Faria, 85), Cloé Lacasse and Jessica Silva (Marta Cintra, 78).
Trainer: Filipa Patao.
– Sporty: Hannah Seabert, Ana Borges, Carolina Beckert, Bruna Lourenço, Fátima Dutra, Andreia Bravo (Maiara Niehues, 70), Joana Martins, Cláudia Neto (Ana Teles, 85), Chandra Davidson, Diana Silva and Ana Capeta (Alícia Correia, 76) .
Coach: Mariana Cabral (replaced on the bench by Pedro Alegria due to suspension)
Discipline: Yellow card for Bruna Lourenço (34), Lúcia Alves (34), Ana Borges (45+1) and Fátima Dutra (72 and 72). Red card for stacking yellow cards for Fátima Dutra (72).
Goalscorers: 1-0, Cloé Lacasse, 16 minutes; 2-0, Cloe Lacasse, 42; 2-1, Chandra Davidson, 55; 3-1, Jessica Silva, 69; 4-1, Kika Nazareth, 77.
Source: DN
