Luís Avelãs on Benfica's big mistake against Académico de Viseu | OneFootball

Lack of clinical finishing was pointed to as Benfica’s main problem in the draw against Académico de Viseu by Luís Avelãs, who acknowledged the quality shown in the first half, but felt Marco Silva’s side cannot afford to waste so many chances.

"The result, of course, was bad. Drawing at home, especially against an opponent that had not been part of the top flight for several decades, deserves no other assessment. The team were ahead twice and were playing at home – despite the limitation of having no fans present – and did not do what was required of them: win," he said in the newspaper 'Record'.

"Even so, if we look at the football played, the Eagles produced a high-quality first half. The issue is that, at the highest level, you cannot miss so much. The Reds kept wasting chances and then, as so often happens, ended up regretting their lack of finishing," he added.

The journalist also believes that the slip-up against Académico de Viseu could affect Benfica’s start to the season. Luís Avelãs also recalled that the Eagles had already left a less positive impression against St. Gallen in the Europa League.

The draw in the league opener therefore comes as yet another result below expectations, despite the heavy wins later achieved against St. Gallen and Hearts. "Starting the league campaign like this does nothing to lift the morale of either the team or the fans," Luís Avelãs concluded.

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