Days away from playing the derby against FC Porto, which could end the title debate once and for all, leader Benfica went through the “circuit” of Vila do Conde without major problems, even in utility mode. A Gonçalo Ramos goal just opened the second half for the reds, even without accelerating much, added another victory against a Rio Ave who left a good image by playing without complexes. “We showed that we are also capable of winning 1-0 in a difficult game against difficult opponents, as we expected,” said Roger Schmidt afterwards.
On a spring afternoon and with the only bench at Arcos full, leader Benfica took the field with an eleven where only Florentino’s absence stood out – the midfielder, “covered” with four yellow cards, this time sat on the bench to make up for an unwanted absence the next lap (he entered the last 20 minutes), with the position given to the Norwegian Aursnes, in duo with Chiquinho. Roger Schmidt spared no more for the rest, with Neres, Rafa and João Mário supporting Gonçalo Ramos. Luís Freire, coach of the home side (in his 50th game in the league), also changed little in the team compared to the last round, with the Greek Samaris, a former player of the reds, returning to the title in the position which Vítor Gomes occupies in the Azores.
With two teams resting on the scoreboard in relation to their objectives, the meeting began in a divided and even somewhat relaxed manner. Rio Ave, with a line-up of three centre-backs, presented himself with a strong defense and without major fears, tried to play face to face with a much stronger opponent, but came to play with the belief that sooner or later , , would reach the goal , as it would eventually happen.
The truth is that Benfica had several moves close to the Vilacondense goal in the first 45 minutes and wasted some situations from three to three, but the best chance to make the scoring work fell to the men of the house. It was in the 31st minute, in a move initiated on the left by Fábio Ronaldo: the ball went into the area and Patrick William headed Vlachodimos’s post. On the reload, André Pereira shot the ball into the back of the net, but he was clearly offside.
On the other hand, Benfica soon threatened Jhonatan’s insurance. First by Rafa, who made a good escape but eventually cut the ubiquitous Patrick William (5″); then by Gonçalo Ramos who, after turning well and clearing a defender, shot wide (7″). In the 17th minute Neres ran off to the left asking for the striker but the shot hit the home goalkeeper and in the 22nd minute it was Bah who appeared at the near post for a shot that ricocheted off Fábio Ronaldo and went. And until the break, after some innocent shots, only Rafa had a chance to cause problems at his feet: he tried a hat that did not cause any major problems for Jhonatan.
comforting purpose
Without a team change, the second half started with a goal from Benfica. Very good João Mário won the one-on-one on the right side, with Gonçalo Ramos, on the second, putting the ball into the back of goal with a powerful and placed shot. It was the striker’s 25th goal of the season, his 17th in the league.
Rio Ave managed to react in the 53rd minute: they won a corner kick and shot twice, the first by Boateng (rolled and easy to defend), the second by Guga (in the figure of Vlachodimos). The truth is that the pattern of the game wasn’t much different from the first half, with Benfica taking the lead more often and Rio Ave reacting as best they could – and they were even very close to a draw, but again Boateng did a good job . failed to hit the target after Costinha matched a wide cross to the back post in an attempt (74″).
Until the end, Benfica limited themselves to holding onto the advantage and only had one more scare, in stoppage time, when Hernâni gained space and forced Vlachodimos to defend for a corner kick.
Source: DN
