Liga Sagres: Sport Lisboa e Benfica 3-1 Clube de Futebol «Os Belenenses»

The season ended for Sport Lisboa e Benfica. Now it is time for holidays and above all to study and learn with the mistakes committed. It seems that with so much money invested the results should have been better. In general, it is more than accepted the idea that financially, things are going well. The fans want more and they deserve more. The expectations are always high, winning a Cup and finishing the Portuguese League on a third place is for sure dramatic.

The ghosts on the exterior should not always be responsible for the bad results. We know that talking on the press about the difficulties of the Club gives Television audiences and off course sells newspapers. If Benfica sells the Club cannot fight against it so the better answer is to start feeding the Media, collaborating with them and turning at the same time Benfica Tv on a strong project.

The same occurs for instance with Portuguese Clubs. All clubs want to defeat a Benfica that plays with a lot of foreign players winning a lot of money compared with the salaries their players earn. Above that if they do win they might not do anything more on the rest of the season, but who cares if they have some hours or days of Gloria in the press… Foreign young players are needed and can for sure help the Club playing football and also financially. Young promises, Portuguese or not, are always welcome and needs investments in the times we are living. Our academy is working very well but there are a lot of prospection’s to continue doing around.

Fellipe Bastos scored a great goal on the victory that just confirmed the poor exhibition of the team “Os Belenenses” this season.

Fellipe Ramos Ignez Bastos (1990/02/01)

Fellipe is one of those young kids who can for sure be talked about in this context. Nevertheless he participated only in two games, making 133 minutes of an entire season. Although he is very young and has for sure much to learn it seems that the opportunities to show his value could have been more.

Fellipe is natural from Rio de Janeiro. This brilliant young player played earlier for Botafogo de Futebol e Regatas where he achieved fantastic perfomances. He also was the captain fo the Brazilian Under 17 team playing on Fifa 2007 World Cup held in Korea Republic. Extremely caution deffending and positioning when the team is attacking. Enjoys to have the ball and to play with it. Will for sure have a great future on his feet.


If I played on a Club I would be honoured to see my old team captain or one of the oldest guys playing against me, representing SL Benfica, on the following season. Respect is something beautiful but we most understand how to get it.

Liga Sagres: Sporting Clube de Braga 1-3 Sport Lisboa e Benfica

3rd Place Achieved

A dynamic game happened last weekend in Braga. Fortunately to Benfica the errors committed by the Braga players opened the doors to the secure the 3rd place in the Portuguese League.

Cardozo scored again and the other two goals belonged to Di Maria and Urreta. It is true that the goals occurred on Braga failures, but if there was no pressing those mistakes wouldn’t have occurred.

Quique Flores must have heard the press rumors about an eventual transfer from the Braga coach Jorge Jesus to Benfica to occupy precisely his place, and decided to mixture some “cards”. One of the options was giving the right side of the defense to Miguel Vitor and Maxi Pereira would play on his natural position in the right wing. That worked well but David Luiz suffered a lesion early and the team changed again not giving the chance to everybody who went to the stadium to watch correctly the players playing on that positions. Nevertheless the opportunity to watch Jorge Ribeiro playing on the left appeared and on a well obtained exhibition.

Some people say that Jorge Jesus will be the next SL Benfica coach. Before the game, J. Jesus guessed witch players would play against Braga. If Jesus take Quique’s place, one thing he should avoid is that, the future opponent coaches he might face, dream with the players and tactics he intends to use.

Jorge Miguel de Oliveira Ribeiro (1981/11/09)

The twenty seven years old, Portuguese defense, Jorge Ribeiro started playing on the Benfica youth teams. His talent made he repeatedly represent the Benfica B team, until 2002, in between aseason representing the Azores island Clube Desportivo Santa Clara.

The experience was positive and he returned but to the first Benfica team on the following season. The fourth place obtained by the Benfica on that League was probably one of the reasons that didn’t let him continue with the team. The northern Varzim Sport Club seemed a good opportunity to show his qualities and Jorge moved there to play on the following two seasons.

The return to Benfica proved that he his now more mature and a more experience player but he had to play for Gil Vicente Futebol Clube, FK Dynamo Moskva, Málaga Club de Fútbol and Clube Desportivo das Aves to achieve that.

Will Jorge Ribeiro have more opportunities?

Liga Sagres: Sport Lisboa e Benfica 2-2 Clube Desportivo Trofense

Who is causing more damage to our team?

The present season is ending as many in the last years. Once more and unfortunately, the big objectives are not achieved. Now it is time to see who to blame. The Portuguese Press knows that talking about Benfica is one good way to attract attentions. The press can be very useful to defend the Club interests but there are always another side of the stories.

Saturday Cardozo scored two goals and once again proved that deserves more opportunities. To become even better O. Cardozo needs to keep improving, but when everybody seems so displacing that isn’t noticed. A Trofense team trying to make points to achieve the maintenance in the Portuguese 1st league, surprised only some distracted fans, taking one point from Luz.

If Quique Flores leaves the Club will Benfica benefit with that change?

Marcelo Moretto de Souza (10/05/1978)

Interview given to the Brazilian Press (Globoesporte)

The Benfica’s goalkeeper, who protected the nets against Barça and defended a penalty kick marked by Ronaldinho Gaúcho in that same game, seems happy with the rumors of the Club change him for the goalkeeper Bruno.

Barcelona who won the Champions League in 2006 had to eliminate world teams, like Chelsea, Arsenal and Milan. But it is a mistake to think that the quarter finals game against Benfica has been easy. After loosing many goals, the final result in Lisbon was a null. Barça won 2-0 in Camp Nou and passed to the next round. Before scoring the goals, the Catalan team missed a penalty. Marcelo Moretto stopped the ball and defended well.

- That was the most brilliant moment in my career. I was used to watch the Champions League by the Tv in Brazil and suddenly I was there, earring the Champions Hymn, that was tremendous. I played also very well against the Champions Liverpool, when Benfica eliminated them. After that round came the game against Barcelona in Luz Stadium, that was 0-0 but they could have scored five goals at least.

The goalkeeper had also a good performance in the away game at Camp Nou. Ronaldinho was called to mark a penalty kick, he shot strongly, Moretto flied to the right corner and was lucky.

- I had already seen the last three penalties marked by him. On a previous game he had marked to the other side. I waited a little to jump, to confuse him and it worked.

The performances from the Brazilian were the result of the good work evidenced before in Vitória de Setúbal. The good exhibitions called the attentions of Porto and Benfica, club who signed him.

Moretto, himself says that several pressures damaged his image in Benfica. Among them, the Portuguese press, who wanted Quim defending the Benfica nets to allow the achievement of the Portuguese goalkeeper to the Portuguese National Team.

- Quim was the first goalkeeper of the team and was playing in the Portuguese National Team. When I arrived Quim had played four games without suffering any goals, but I made three entrainments and became the owner of the goalie. That seemed unfair to the fans. By then I had consented only 3 goals in sixteen games. To the press I was the best goalkeeper in Portugal and suddenly I became the worse. The World Cup was coming and the Portuguese Press started to publish articles that damaged my image. The situation was difficult to support and I decided to go to Greece, where I was loaned to AEK.

The days in Athens were very good. AEK almost signed Moretto, but there were no financial agreement between the two Clubs and he had t return to the “reds” on the beginning of the present season. Without possibilities of becoming the nets owner (3rd choice) he wishes to leave Benfica.

- I want to go away from Portugal. There two or three Clubs here interested in me, but I want to leave Portugal. I am so badly marked that if I suffer a goal from a penalty kick it will be also my responsibility. I am here almost for six years and I would rather return to Brazil. My wife and kids also want to go back to Brazil. Now let’s wait for the next months to see want happens.

How about your future in Flamengo? I like the idea.

Moretto, 31 years old, reveals proposals from Clubs in Turkey and Romany. To achieve other important European leagues he needs an Italian passport that he his counting to have in his possession until June.

Moretto confirms that has no official proposals from Brazilian Clubs. Nevertheless there is a rumor in the Portuguese media that makes him dream: playing for Flamengo.

- Some Portuguese Press articles say that there is a possibility of the goalkeeper Bruno move to Benfica. In that case I would be involved on an eventual negotiation. Benfica seems really interested in Bruno and I would be happy to return. Who would not like to play in Flamengo? It is a Club that I admire, a Club that always fights, has fanatic fans and plays always under pressure. That seems marvelous.

One of the Pictures: Marcello Moretto, with his wife Ione, and the daughters Maria Eduarda and Maria Luiza. The third son, Marcelinho, was born few weeks ago.

Liga Sagres: Clube Desportivo Nacional 3-1 SL Benfica

Goodbye Champions League!

The few chances Benfica had to access the pre-eliminatory of Champions League vanished last Saturday night. The match in the island of Madeira was being well disputed and information’s received before that SCP had lost points in Coimbra were also positive. Unfortunately to us Nacional da Madeira proved why they occupy the 4th place of the Portuguese League and once again made a fantastic game.

Some Portuguese newspapers said that Benfica was interested in two Nacional players. We may ask if that is true or not, but one thing is for sure, they proved that they know how to score goals.

Benfica could and should have done more in this game, but things aren’t so easy. To make things worse the substitutions established didn’t help. Talking about people in the bench, Binya wasn’t used again and is a pity because he has a big heart. The dedication of Binya to the game is so enormous, that he could have helped a lot, our team during the current season, in this tuff Portuguese League.

Gilles Augustin Binya (1984/08/29)

Gilles Binya was born in Yaoundé, Cameroon. This defensive midfielder started playing in the local clubs like Nassara and Cintra Constellacio. Also marked presence in Coton Sport Football Club de Garoua and Tonnerre Kalara Club de Yaoundé of the Cameroon Premiere Division. The Argelian Club MC Oran was represented for three seasons before signing with Benfica.

Binya may not be an artist with the ball on his feet, but he destroys the opponent offensive like few other players. A player like Binya can be much useful helping our team when the ball is with the opponent players. Very persuasive, dedicated and very good physically needs to improve his agility with the ball and the distribution of it, to avoid damages to the team. His strength is shown in the line thrown in that cause many troubles to the adversaries.

The participation of Binya on the benfica’s team, this season, started reducing, after he saw a second yellow card and went off, on a balls hand fault. Things could be different to Binya if the referee of that game had been the same of this against Nacional…