Incredible refereeing costs Benfica at Porto's ground (3-1) | OneFootball

Benfica left the Dragão with a 3-1 defeat against Porto in a Clássico in which the Eagles managed to recover from a difficult situation, only to be undone by the blue-and-whites’ immediate response. Marco Silva’s side were reduced to 10 men in the first half, still managed to equalise early in the second, but conceded two goals in just eight minutes and missed the chance to go top of the league.

The club from Luz tried to counter Porto’s high press through ball circulation and attacks down the flanks. Prestianni and Bah were among the most involved players in the opening minutes, and the Eagles did create danger, but it was Porto who found the breakthrough. In the 31st minute, Gabri Veiga appeared in the box after an assist from Pepê and beat Samuel Soares (1-0).

The situation became even more complicated shortly afterwards when Clément Lenglet received his second yellow card and left Benfica with a numerical disadvantage. Marco Silva responded with a substitution to reorganise the team, but the Eagles managed to stay competitive and went into the break still with a chance of fighting for the result. Their resistance paid off right at the start of the second half, with Bah appearing in the box to head in for 1-1 after a cross from Prestianni.

The equaliser restored Benfica’s confidence and, for a few moments, seemed to overcome the numerical disadvantage. The scoreline, however, did not stay level for long. Porto went back in front just three minutes later through Froholdt, and in the 60th minute Hwang In-Beom made it 3-1.

Benfica therefore end the seventh round with their second defeat of the season and see a run of five consecutive league wins come to an end. Marco Silva’s team remain on 16 points, while Porto move on to 21 and strengthen their lead at the top.

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