There were no equivalencies. Benfica
beat
Bruges 5-1
(7-1 overall) and qualified for the Champions League quarterfinals
.
The Portuguese team showed that, despite not having the outlandish names that other greats on the continent have, they are willing to fight with their weapons and despite the departure of Enzo Fernández.
Be careful: a yellow card in the first half left a bittersweet taste for world champion Nicolás Otamendi, starter and captain in Lisbon, but he will miss the first leg of the next instance.
In Portugal,
the beginning was heart attack.
Of course, the Belgian team needs, yes or yes, to turn around the 2-0 loss they suffered in the first leg.
For their part, the Portuguese do not want to speculate and went for everything.
Those led by Roger Schmidt had the opportunity to take the lead a minute into the game.
In fact, after a great collective play, Joao Mario masterfully defined and made the Estadio da Luz explode.
However, due to an advanced position by Gonçalo Ramos at the start of the play, the goal was not conceded.
Half an hour into the game,
Nicolás Otamendi
committed a violation of Tajon Buchanan, who had turned him around and was going towards the goal.
The defender was reprimanded and thus reached the yellow limit.
This means that
he will miss the first leg of the quarterfinals.
Perhaps the need to go out looking for the result and, consequently, the decision to field players with a more offensive cut, gave Scott Parker's team certain advantages in the defensive zone.
With greater calm, performance and quality, the Eagles found spaces and generated chances to increase the score.
In addition, they enjoyed control of the ball and set the conditions of the game.
And all the superiority had its reward.
After half an hour, Joao Mario gave a pass to
Gonçalo Ramos
, who received the ball in midfield.
The striker, exposing all his physical conditions, had a great run, braked at the right moment and threw a cross at
Rafa Silva
.
Silva carried out great control inside the area, got rid of his mark and finished off away from goalkeeper Simón Mignolet's position.
The advantage was more than fair and left Benfica very close to qualifying.
But the 1 to 0 was short.
At the end, more precisely in the first minute of added time, the second goal fell.
Joao Mario, who played a great first half and provided a lot of clarity, assisted
Gonçalo Ramos
.
The young striker, who had already assisted in the first, began to cut inside and, between all the legs of the Brugge defenders, hit a powerful shot at the near post.
Again, there was little Mignolet could do to prevent the arc drop.
The second half continued in the same vein as the first half.
Benfica gave a monologue and left Bruges with no chance of anything.
And as if that were not enough, he never slowed down.
He came out determined to continue stretching the advantage and show all his credentials.
At this point, Ramos is already the great figure of the night.
Assistance in the first, author of the second and in charge of marking the third.
This time, and to make it 5-0 overall, he was the tip of the spear.
If something was missing for the night to be a true nightmare for Bruges, it was committing a penalty.
Abakar Sylla, a young Ivorian defender, made a childish penalty and gave Joao Mario the chance to crown his magnificent performance.
The midfielder took responsibility.
He took the run, opened his foot and made it 4 to 0. Mignolet went the other way and was a luxury witness to how the result turned into a win.
With 17 minutes remaining in the match, Nicolas Otamendi was replaced and, with his departure, a shower of applause broke into the stadium.
The captain rounded off a great performance, although he will surely have the thorn of having been reprimanded and knowing that he will miss the next Champions League game.
It was a beating, of that there is no doubt.
David Neres
, who came on from the substitute bench, was also able to indulge in a goal.
With 10 minutes to go, he crossed a shot and made it 5 to 0.
In the first instance, the play was reviewed for a possible off-side, but finally, after the review, the refereeing body concluded that the goal was valid.
The famous goal of honor took place in Lisbon.
A true goal, although totally useless, was the one that came from the feet of Bjorn Meijer.
The 19-year-old Dutchman received a ball inside the Benfica area and took an absolutely unassailable shot.
In this way, those directed by Roger Schmidt achieved the classification.
But not only that, but he made it clear that he has weapons with which he can fight and hope to go far.
From performance and freshness, he will be one of the most difficult opponents in the quarterfinals.
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