This Sunday, Benfica was one victory away from qualifying for the play-off final of the national roller hockey championship, beating FC Porto en la Luz, 7-2, in the third game of the semifinal.
After having won 5-0 in the first game, at home, and having lost 5-2 in the visit to Dragão Caixa, Nuno Resende’s team is once again at the forefront of the play-off semifinal, in a match in which Pablo Álvarez (06, 07 and 42), Gonçalo Pinto (12 and 41), Roberto Di Benedetto (17) and Lucas Ordoñez (45), and Gonçalo Alves (34) and Diogo Barata (35) scored for the eagles. they scored the goals of the goalkeepers.
At La Luz, Benfica had a “destructive” first half, with four goals from the “eagles” without an answer from the “dragons”, who never managed to reach the goal defended by Pedro Henriques, even with danger.
After five minutes, Pablo Álvarez scored the first goal of the game, at a time when Benfica was outnumbered after Rafa’s blue card.
Two minutes later, the Spaniard returned to the celebrations with the timely rebound after a shot from Di Benedetto. Only Benfica could do it in the game, FC Porto seemed asleep and Gonçalo Pinto made it 3-0 in the 12th minute.
Ricardo Lozano called two time-outs, but FC Porto remained unrecognizable and in minute 17 the score moved again, with Di Benedetto, after an individual move, taking advantage of Mena’s discontent to make it 4-0 at halftime.
The second half brought a more ‘surgical’ Benfica in the game, with FC Porto still unable to impose its game. However, a colossal mistake by Ordoñez, which earned him the blue card, allowed Gonçalo Alves to make it 4-1 with a direct free kick, and a minute later Diogo Barata reduced it to 4-2, in another distraction for the ‘ Red Team.
The game was relaunched for the final stretch, but Benfica ‘started the engines’ again and two gusty goals from Gonçalo Pinto and Pablo Álvarez, in a direct free kick, returned the winners of the regular season to the lead by four goals from difference and practically sealed the victory.
In the final minutes, Lucas Ordoñez made up for the mistake made in the middle of the second half and was still in time to sign up for the scorers list, putting the final score at 7-2 for the ‘eagles’.
The fourth game of the play-off semifinal is scheduled for Thursday, at 8:00 p.m., with FC Porto hosting Benfica and needing to win to continue in the discussion for a place in the championship final.
Source: TSF
