The eagles dominated the Portuguese Champion FC Porto and demontrated they want the 1st place.
SL Benfica received last Sunday the team of Porto, the night was cold and with lots of rain. The Stadium was full, almost 64 000 spectators did not fear the bad weather, but who suffered the most with those conditions was the pitch and the artists of both teams. SL Benfica had to enter the game with different players, if we consider the usual team. Urreta, Carlos Martins and C. Peixoto demonstrated they are in the first eleven but have the qualities needed to also belong there.
The game was very tactical, maybe because both coaches, Jorge Jesus and Jesualdo Ferreira, knew that a defeat could make some damage on the team prestige and probably be an psichological unadvantage. After the result of FC Porto obtained in Madrid with unexpected numbers, few believed that the reds were going to control the game so well.
Saviola cannot be many games away from the goals, and when Cardozo doesn’t score, there he cames, to show he also makes the difference. El Conejo, or the rabbit, as he his known, made an important goal that consolidates the position of the team in the top of the Portuguese League Sagres near SC Braga. Carlos Martins also made a fantastic 1st half and it was noticed he gave all he could, by his exhaustion on the second part of the game. Porto played a bit better on the second part Another important factor was the lesion of Ramires. Fortunately Luisão and once again David Luiz showed their qualities. Quim responded very well when needed and also the players who entered, Luis Filipe, F. Menezes and Weldon demonstrated that they want other chances. A final word to the habitual good perfomances of Maxi Pereira and Javi Garcia.
The game was very tactical, maybe because both coaches, Jorge Jesus and Jesualdo Ferreira, knew that a defeat could make some damage on the team prestige and probably be an psichological unadvantage. After the result of FC Porto obtained in Madrid with unexpected numbers, few believed that the reds were going to control the game so well.
Saviola cannot be many games away from the goals, and when Cardozo doesn’t score, there he cames, to show he also makes the difference. El Conejo, or the rabbit, as he his known, made an important goal that consolidates the position of the team in the top of the Portuguese League Sagres near SC Braga. Carlos Martins also made a fantastic 1st half and it was noticed he gave all he could, by his exhaustion on the second part of the game. Porto played a bit better on the second part Another important factor was the lesion of Ramires. Fortunately Luisão and once again David Luiz showed their qualities. Quim responded very well when needed and also the players who entered, Luis Filipe, F. Menezes and Weldon demonstrated that they want other chances. A final word to the habitual good perfomances of Maxi Pereira and Javi Garcia.
A Victory finishing the Europa League Group I
Benfica finishes the Europa League group phase with a victory. The greeks of AEK Athens come to Lisbon wanting to repeat the result obtained in Athens but faced a solid team that did not give them that chance. Angel Di Maria wanted to recover his image and he did it. The argentine football player made an amazing exhibition and obtaining also the two goals of the reds. The Greeks reduced but their lack of motivation was evident, so the game ended with a 2-1 victory for our team.
Uefa Europa League Draw
The draw made today in Nyon, Switzerland, decided that the European SL Benfica, will play, once more, against Hertha BSC Berlin in the next knockout round.
The next obstacle of the reds, the German team of Hertha BSC Berlin, has played earlier in the group phase against another Portuguese team Sporting CP,at the end, the results between them were, one game lost away and other won at home, both with the same final result 1-0.
To be present on the next draw, the Eagles will need to eliminate the German team, knowing that they will want to be present, on a final, that takes place on their own country. In fact, the Final will be on Wednesday 12 May in Hamburg. But the reds want to have the privilege, to be one of the finalists. Let's try to win and thing on the next rounds, step by step, The quarter-finals are played on 1 and 8 April, the semi-finals on 22 and 29 April.
Great victories before Xmas makes the fans dream with Titles. Let’s show our true value in the new and happy year of 2o1o.
