Benfica target's nightmare: throws away draw and faces taunts | OneFootball

Taylor Harwood-Bellis, a centre-back on Benfica’s radar, had a Championship start to forget. Southampton lost 2-1 away to Watford this Sunday, in a match in which the England international ended up being involved in one of the most memorable moments of the game.

The defender found himself in an excellent position deep into stoppage time, with a golden chance to restore parity, but ended up shooting wide of Federico Ravaglia’s goal. The miss ultimately prevented Southampton from leaving Vicarage Road with a point.

Watford made the best possible start to the new season in front of their fans, in a match marked by the home side’s intensity and a particularly hostile atmosphere surrounding Southampton. The Saints are still dealing with the consequences of the spying scandal that led to the club being excluded from the promotion play-offs last season, a situation that contributed to the tension in the stands.

Despite their response, the Saints never truly managed to take control of the match. Deep into stoppage time, with the score at 2-1, the big chance to salvage a point arrived, but Harwood-Bellis could not take it. The centre-back wanted by Benfica appeared in a prime position inside the box, but missed the target and saw the ball go wide of Ravaglia’s goal.

In addition to the missed finish, the centre-back was also the target of taunts and complaints from the opposition players throughout the match. As a result, it was a negative start to the season for Harwood-Bellis, at a time when his future remains open and Benfica continue to keep the player under consideration as one of the options to strengthen the heart of the defence.

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