Millennium Cup: Sport Lisboa e Benfica 0-1 Vitória Sport Clube‏

Last Sunday, SL Benfica, was beaten by the team of Guimarães, for the Portuguese Cup.

The possibility of winning the second most important trophy in Portugal, on the present season, vanished last weekend with a defeat from Benfica at Estadio da Luz. The team of Vitória Sport Clube, came to our place and took us away the possibility of accessing Jamor (Final). Paulo Sérgio appeared in Luz with a dynamic team and with guts to win the eliminatory. Players like Nuno Assis, Desmarets, Sereno and the goalkeeper Nilson were in good plan, destroying the creativity of the reds. A lonely goal obtained on a corner kick, by Gustavo Lazzaretti was more than sufficient to give the victory to northern team.

The lack of ideas of the eagle players was in evidence, and the team tried hard, but the goal did not appeared. A poor first half, from the reds demonstrates that not all the games can be resolved on the second part. Players like Moreira, Sidney and Keirrison could have done better, to grab the opportunity given by J. Jesus, but when the rest of the team does not help, things become harder.

A player that wants to demonstrate his value and conquer his space on the team is Felipe Menezes. The young Brazilian played few minutes on this Cup game, but demonstrated once more good qualities that may be useful on a near future.

Game Info:

Stadium: Estádio da Luz – Attendance: 25 000 spectators

Referee: Elmano Santos (Madeira island)

SL Benfica: Moreira, Rúben Amorim (F. Menezes 84'), Sidnei, David Luiz, Fábio Coentrão, Javi Garcia, Ramires, Di Maria, Aimar (Weldon 67'), Saviola, Keirrison (N. Gomes 80').
Coach: Jorge Jesus.

Vitória Sport Clube (Guimarães): Nilson, Andrezinho, Lazzaretti, Moreno, Sereno (Milhazes 69’), Custódio (Alex 80’), Flávio Meireles, João Alves (Douglas 90’), Desmarets, Nuno Assis, Targino.
Coach: Paulo Sérgio.

Goals: 0-1 Lazzaretti (25’).

Robert Enke

SL Benfica traveled to Açores islands to dispute and win, against Clube Desportivo Santa Clara, the Pauleta’s Trophy. The result was a one goal draw at the end of the 90’. Two of the best players from the Eagles in action were Keirrison who scored the goal in the regulamentary time (35’) and, Jean Silva who scored also with success the last of the 5 penalties.

What better way can be done to demonstrate and elogiate the qualities of a player than a football game. That is precisely what hapened with the portuguese player Pauleta in the last Friday night game and will for sure occur in the Portuguese Cup game coming next where SLB will face Vitória SC (Guimarães) and Robert Enke, who tragiclay died recently, will be remembered.

One week ago, the world football become more poor, Robert Enke died. A train took his life near Hanôver. A possible suicide was annouced by the police. Near friends and family also confirm that possibility.

Enke was born on the 24 August 1977, in Jena. He played for the local team Jena Pharm, then in FC Carl Zeiss. He was representing Borussia VFL 1900 Monchengladbach when SL Benfica decided to sign him.

When R. Enke arrives to Luz, in 1999, he was already the Under-21 goalkeeper of his nation. Robert’s task wasn’t easy he had to do better than Bossio and to try to make the fans forget the Belgian Michael Preud’Homme. Neverthless, he reached the titularity of the reds main team and cativated the public, although the Club was on a results crisis, and on that years the reds were far from obtaining trophies.

Enke is still remembered by his kindness and the Portuguese coach Toni still remembers the abondoned dogs Enke frequently took to his place. A very disciplinated player that could and should have had a different life. Unfortunately to him and to the ones near him things weren’t easy. The Turkish experience in Fenerbahce was so bad that he only played a game. Even, before that, when he left SLB, to sign with Barcelona FC and all the newspapers were after him, things didn’t smiled to him as expected.

The return to Germany in 2oo4, after CD Tenerife, to assume the Hannover 1896 nets, was very positive to his career and he had a new oportunity in his hands to prove his true value. He grabed that chance and reached later in 2oo7 also to the National Team. The access to the German shirt was difficult because of two other big goalkeepers, Kahn and Lehmann.

Health problems were prejudicial to Robert Enke and also to his daughter, who had died ealier. The question Why (Warum?) apears, more than to ask why that train robbed his life, to ask Why can life be, sometimes, so unfair?

http://www.hannover96.de/CDA/top-stories/robert-enke-youtube-fanvideos.html

Liga Sagres: Sport Lisboa e Benfica 1-0 Associação Naval 1º de Maio

Walls do come down.

Yesterday was celebrated the anniversary of the Berlin's wall fall. The majority of the people present on that moment think that it took too much time, near 30 years, to fall down. To commemorate the reunification of the West and Eastern Germanys in 1989, was produced an event watched all over the world, where pieces of Domino fell down. Well, also yesterday our team SL Benfica played for the Portuguese League and the difficulties faced were so much that it seemed that the Eagles were playing against a wall. The similarity of the Berlin wall and the Naval wall cannot be made in terms of suffering, but one thing is coincident, both walls took too long to fall.

Last night, Benfica received the team of Naval, coming from Figueira da Foz. The visitant team disposition proportionate almost 90 minutes of game in only one side of the pitch. The away team coach A. Inácio, probably to honour the Berlin event, told his players to defend with all their forces. The strategy delineated made that the almost every players of Naval hardly passed midfield. When a counter attack occurred only two or three players expected to score benefiting from some mistake of the red defenders.

When a game has this type of characteristics and we do not see many goals, there are only two reasons possible. The first is that the red players are inefficient and the other is that the defenders were much better than our attackers. I frankly believe that this last hypotheses is the most correct and the public also in Luz, more than 40 000 spectators, probably would agree. A strong factor called Peiser, the goalkeeper of Naval avoided the success of the Benfica players for several times. A tremendous actuation from the French goalkeeper almost guaranteed the success of his coach and team. The red players felt on their legs the European game played on the middle of the week before, nevertheless they had plenty of good opportunities to score, unfortunately to us only one, break the wall, but it was worth it. It was almost at the end of the game, 89', when J. Garcia scored a great goal, responding positively with his head to a cross from a free kick marked on the left.

Maxi Pereira told the Press, that they the team needs to get used to difficult victories, like this one against A. Naval 1º Maio. Probably many other teams that will visit Benfica will play like that. We need to adapt to that kind of posture.

Rúben Amorim and Di Maria are two players who were evidently with "low batteries" yesterday. It is strange to say, but they were tired, for a good reason. They made a brilliant game in Liverpool, last Thursday against Everton FC. This two young players, with the rest of their companions, made a very good exhibition which allowed an important victory. Their performance in Goodison Park was so good that they took all the possibilities, of the English team to reach a positive result. Everyone knows that the games of the Portuguese teams in England are not easy and the European home games of the Toffees , are always very difficult to the visitors. It is needed to say that the goalkeepers from both sides, Tim Howard the USA Squad goalkeeper and the Brazilien Júlio César, made a good job. Saviola and Oscar Cardoza scored the two red goals and silenced Goodison Park.

As always the British remembered and honoured our "Black Panther". Eusébio went to the middle of the pitch before the beginning of the game and received a deserved gift from the Everton FC people. A return to a stadium where he scored 6 goals in the 1966 World Cup tournament representing Portugal and where he would have faced England in the semi-finals but the Football Association decided to switch the game to Wembley at the last minute. It is good to know that the star he was, is still remembered by the ones who had the opportunity and the pleasure of seeing him playing in the land of the Beatles.

Europa League: Everton Football Club vs Sport Lisboa e Benfica

Benfica’s team got the plane, yesterday morning, to UK. After the flight the team took contact with Liverpool, adapted to the Goodison Park pitch and concentrated on a local Hotel.

Today Benfica in a very difficult game against Everton FC on Goodison Park, a Stadium built in 1892 (+ 40,000 spectators), has the opportunity to keep the first group position and give a big step into the next phase. The Europa League game is creating enormous expectations in England, this because the Toffees want to demonstrate that the result obtained by the reds a few days ago, was just an accident. An historical result like that is not obtained on every game, so the time to the Everton players demonstrate that the Lisbon result was totally unfair is reached. Benfica wants on the other hand to control the game and most important of all to gain points.

The historical Everton Football Club was formed in 1878. The St Domingo Methodist Church Sunday School was opened in May 1870 and eight years later the football team using the St Domingo name played its first match in the south-east corner of Stanley Park, with the players carrying the posts from the park lodge on Mill Lane before fixing them into the metal sockets at either end of the crudely marked pitch. St Domingo's FC quickly established a local reputation for them selves and players were recruited from outside of the parish, precipitating a change of name in November 1879 - to EVERTON. Many relevant players took part of the Everton’s history, like for instance Lineker.

Jorge Jesus thinks a draw maybe positive but Benfica will play for the victory. Some journalists asked J. Jesus if he was worried about the fact of on the games SLB did not won Benfica suffered earlier. Jesus”We are not worried with that fact. That is only statistic numbers.” The reds coach thinks that what really matters is the work the team develops.

David Moyes Everton’s coach, that won’t be able to count with John Heitinga and Lucas Neill. L. Saha is also in doubt, told the Press that they don’t want to use the word revenge but it’s is true that their pride is in stake. The defeat in Lisbon, Everton's heaviest loss in UEFA club competition, still hurts.

“We are going to get a good result. Nevertheless a point would not be a bad thing the way the group is going.” “The key is to qualify, that's our objective tomorrow. But we have to play much better than we did in Lisbon.”

The Toffees midfielder Jack Rodwell believes that Everton FC can do better on tonight’s game:
“We want to prove that we are the better team on this group and has I expect the most strong on the competition. Nothing is decided yet. We need to win the next game and hopefully confirm the achievement to the next stage. Some important players recovered and will be able to play so will be better this time.”

Sport Lisboa e Benfica

Goalkeepers: Quim, Moreira, Júlio César;

Defenders: Maxi Pereira, Sidnei, David Luiz, Luisão, Shaffer;

Midfielders: Javi García, Ramires, R. Amorim, Coentrão, Di María, Felipe Menezes, Aimar; Forwards: Nuno Gomes, Weldon, Saviola, Cardozo and Keirrison;

Coach: Jorge Jesus.

Everton Football Club

Goalkeepers: Tim Howard, Carlo Nash;

Defenders: Tony Hibbert, Sylvain Distin, Joseph Yobo, Leighton Baines, Seamus Coleman, Shane Duffy;

Midfielders: Dan Gosling, Jack Rodwell, Marouane Fellaini, Hope Akpan, James Wallace, Tim Cahill;

Forwards: Jô, Louis Saha, Jose Baxter, Kieran Agard and Ayegbeni Yakubu;

Coach: David Moyes

Referee

Said Ennjimi (FRA)

Assistant referee

Frédéric Cano (FRA) Djemel Zitouni (FRA)

Additional assistant referee

Hervé Piccirillo (FRA) Ruddy Buquet (FRA)Fourth official Didier Falcone (FRA)

Liga Sagres: Sporting Clube de Braga 2-0 Sport Lisboa e Benfica

SL Benfica lost several things in the city of Braga.

Last Saturday night Benfica went to Braga to play against the local team, SC Braga. The city was lived the day with an tremendous excitation, this because in Braga many local citizens are Benfica lovers. Both clubs are identified with the red colours, so the city was all dressed in that same colour. In addition to that both Clubs were with the same 22 points in the top of the Portuguese Football League.

The game started well for the home team and they scored soon by Hugo Viana (7') on a direct free kick shot. The public was enthusiastic but Benfica reacted well and could have reached the goal when Ramires missed a chance facing the goalkeeper Eduardo. SL Benfica missed some chances to score and one from Luisão that went into the Braga nets was invalidated by the referee. When the first half was finishing a ball went to the bench of Braga and when Di Maria tried to catch it heard some insults and replied sending the ball back. Nothing strange in a mans game but the worse was yet to come: The referee Jorge Sousa, one of the best nowadays working in Portugal, decided to end the 1st half, but could not imagine that the players of both team would be involved in the tunnel.

On the break time Benfica starts precisely on that moment to loose something more. Initially Cardozo was beaten in front of everyone and also in front of the cameras before entering the Tunnel. Some people say that he was again beaten on the tunnel that gives access to the dressing rooms, but this time by securities. It is strange because these professionals are paid to protect the integrity of the persons present on the Stadium and above all of the players. Well, the result is easy to understand, Leone (SCB) and Óscar Cardozo saw the red Card. Yes, the best scorer of the Portuguese League did not have the chance to return and show his abilities.

On the second half Benfica tried to reach the Braga nets but their defensive, the best until now of the Liga Sagres, was stronger. Players like Hugo Viana, Alan and João Pereira made a tremendous game for the locals and demonstrated that they deserved to win that game. This last player João Pereira is well known of the Benfica followers because he won the last Championship for Benfica when Giovanni Trapattoni was our Coach (2004/05).

Braga defeat well our team, now that we lost the game, lost Cardozo and lost the possibility of being alone on the first place, let's try to avoid loosing more players on the Tunnels. Strangely that Tunnel disagreements had also happened before on the game against CD Nacional.

We may have lost some important things in Braga, but we will all football lovers pray to the Portuguese League 2009/10 be decided on the pitch by the stars, the players, and not on some other places and by some other intervenient.