Benfica beats Haller

Direct Chronicle

Haller watches as the ball enters the goal, his 11th goal in the edition.JOSE SENA GOULAO (EFE)

This Ajax is not just any team, as it cries out to be taken into account in the competition because it dominates all the resources, perhaps an inconsistent hair in the defense of aerial balls.

But he has plenty of tactical order, intention in the preparation of the game and punching in the rival area as the infallible Haller explains to each game he plays.

Insufficient, in any case, to break down Benfica at first, which showed an unapologetic and very competitive version, much more successful than the one it exhibits in the Portuguese league.

They signed the tables and the next revalidation will be in Amsterdam.

Benfica

two

Vlachodimos, Vertonghen, Otamendi, Gilberto Junior (Diogo Gonçalves, min. 90), Grimaldo, Taarabt (Paulo Bernardo, min. 84), Everton (Yaremchuk, min. 61), Julian Weigl, Rafa Silva, Darwin Núñez (Lazaro, min. 90) and Goncalo Ramos

AA Ajax

two

Pasveer, Lisandro Martínez, Noussair Mazraoui (Devyne Rensch, min. 91), Jurrien Maduro, Daley Blind (Tagliafico, min. 72), Ryan Gravenberch (Klaassen, min. 73), Tadic, Berghuis, Antony, Edson Álvarez and Sébastian Haller

Goals

0-1 min.

17: Tadic.

1-1 min.

25: Sebastian Haller (pp).

1-2 minutes

28: Sebastian Haller.

2-2 min.

71: Yaremchuk.

Referee

Slavko Vincic

Yellow cards Noussair Mazraoui (min. 22), Berghuis (min. 44), Darwin Núñez (min. 45), Goncalo Ramos (min. 48), Yaremchuk (min. 72) and Antony (min. 86)

Taking refuge in Antony's dribbling and speed down the flanks, Ajax raised a duel of comings and goings that Benfica embraced, in agreement with direct football with few passes and many meters.

But the Portuguese team lacked the start, pause and touch, as well as ingenuity to find the last pass and say their own in the rival area.

Not only that, but he had a hard time getting out from the root, the Dutch team was great in the pressure.

Thus, in one of those, Vlachodimos played it for Grimaldo, who controlled poorly and made it possible for the electric Mazraoui to steal and counter, who raised his head and found Tadic to open the duel.

Benfica was able to recover, relieved to discover that Ajax could be broken with crosses into the area, almost always from set pieces.

Merit of Vertonghen, who hunted them on the fly.

Like that cross from Grimaldo that Pasveer stopped in two halves, also that other corner that he headed first and then with his left foot, always attentive to rejection because in the continuation of the play a center was invented that Haller converted into his own goal.

Slap in the face for the Ivorian, who for once made the wrong goal.

He quickly made up for it.

A few minutes after screwing it up, Haller finished off a Tadic cross to make history;

the first player to score a goal in each of the first seven Champions League games and raise his personal tally to 11, top

ahead of Lewandowski (9) and Salah (8).

A milestone that the Ajax striker rounds off in a big way because he had never before participated in the highest European competition, now with the aim of reaching Cristiano, capable of scoring in the 2014-15 season for 11 consecutive days and reaching the final figure of 15 in the edition.

Something that Haller could achieve if Ajax continues with his proposal, intense in high pressure, fast in transitions and sharp in the shot.

It remains to be seen, however, if he can deal with this raging Benfica, spurred on by Rafa Silva's runs and Everton and Darwin Núñez's mid-range shot.

And even from Ramos, since he allowed Yaremchuk's goal and equalizer to silence Haller, at least a little.

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