Benfica loses again in the Champions
Benfica lost 1-3 on Wednesday in St. Petersburg in a duel on matchday two of the Champions League group stage, leaving the eagles in a bad way to continue in the highest race. at European level. Vieira well asks for a European Benfica, but the squad responds apathetically to their leader.
Bruno Lage, in anticipation of the duel against Zenit, stressed that “Benfica’s DNA obliges the incarnated to be a bossy team”. The truth is that the eagles only sent in the first minutes of the first half, after which the Russians were in charge of the reins of the meeting.
With Rafa and Seferovic on the attacking front of the national champion went across the barricade where the spotlight was turned.
The Swiss international was close to the goal after five minutes, but it was an opportunity lost in an oasis of offensive ideas. Shatov gave the first scare at 9 ‘, for at 22’ Zenit put St. Petersburg in a frenzy. Rúben Dias delays the ball for Vlachodimos and the Greek instead of sending the ball away, serves Fejsa, just outside the incarnate area, who casually offered the ball to Dzyuba. Tie it to Zenit who didn’t give up looking for the second one.
Still in the early stages Shatov and Driussi had the opportunity to do so, in a nervous Benfica, who did not press the opponent and let him run to his pleasure in the vicinity of the great red area.
Bruno Lage entered the second half without disturbing the team and only confirmed one thing: Zenit’s offensive avalanche didn’t stop and Benfica had no art or ingenuity to stop it. It took, but it was, and after 60 minutes the eagle coach made a double change, Caio Lucas and Carlos Vinicíus replacing Pizzi and Fejsa.
Caio Lucas began by giving a ray of light to a team that could not separate from the cloud that carried it on the field. And the truth is that the rain fell on 70 minutes with a goal from Rúben Dias. The midfielder in the small area eventually put on the striker’s skin and the striker drove the ball into his own goal, eight minutes later the red defensive dike sank again.
The storm came for Azmoun who sealed the 3-0 and one night to forget about a bad Benfica, as has been tradition on Champions nights.
Raúl de Tomás, five minutes after entering the field, still reduced after a fine shot at the gates of the great Russian area, but the artwork died ‘unmarried’, because the time and lack of cooperation of a Benfica I couldn’t wait for more.
With this result, and after two matches, Lyon leads the group with four points, as is Lyon, RB Leipzig is third with three, and Benfica is still without points in this Group G.
