Benfica have little to smile about ahead of the Clássico with Porto | OneFootball

The junior team of Benfica dropped important points on the morning of this Saturday, February 7. Visiting Rio Ave’s ground in a match for the 3rd round of the championship qualification phase, the Eagles could do no better than a draw (1-1). Tomás Soares scored for the Eagles.

Leonardo Lopes, Diogo Coelho, Ricardo Neto, Mauro Furtado, Nilson Semedo, Rafael Quintas, André Vakulyuk, Isaac Ferreira, Diego Castel-Branco, Tomás Soares, and Gustavo Ferreira were Vítor Vinha’s starting choices, just days after the victory over Slavia Prague in the Youth League.

Playing away at the Vilacondenses’ stadium, Benfica showed no signs of pressure and took control of the match. After creating several chances, Tomás Soares, one of the standout players of the Eagles’ U19s, put the Club of Light ahead with a goal in the 29th minute.

In the second half, the Eagles came out eager to extend their lead, but it was Rio Ave who found joy at the start of the second period. Right on the 61st minute, Miguel Patrício leveled the score, going against the Eagles’ dominance. Until the final whistle, the result remained unchanged.

With this result, the Eagles’ junior team stalls again in this decisive phase of the championship, after having defeated Santa Clara in the previous round. All things considered, Benfica provisionally climbed to the top of the national championship, with just 5 points. The next clash is scheduled for February 21, the Clássico, against Porto.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇵🇹 here.