Marco Silva finds dream duo at Benfica, benches rivals | OneFootball

Rafa Silva, who has been widely praised, and Gianluca Prestianni may not impress with their height, but they are showing that talent is not measured in centimeters. The two forwards have made a flying start to the season and quickly became important pieces in Marco Silva’s Benfica, operating mainly on the wings, though with the freedom to appear in different areas of the pitch.

The numbers help explain the duo’s impact. Benfica have already scored 25 goals in seven official matches, nine of them in the league, a tally the Eagles had not reached in the opening rounds of the championship for 37 years. In the top scorers’ list, Rafa is in second place with four goals, while Prestianni is third with three. Only Vangelis Pavlidis, with ten goals, has outscored the two.

Rafa Silva remains one of Benfica’s greatest attacking weapons. In addition to his four goals, the Portuguese player has already registered two assists and has also left his mark in the Europa League. In five matches played in the competition, he averages 0.60 goals per game, the second-best mark among players in the tournament, behind only Anderlecht’s Danylo Sikan.

On the other side is Prestianni, whose ability to unsettle defenders quickly won over the fans. The Argentine has scored three goals in five matches, also averaging 0.60 per game, having started on four occasions and also contributed one assist. The duo’s outstanding performances have left Schjelderup, a standout at the 2026 World Cup, stuck on the bench.

Marco Silva is also one of the young Argentine’s biggest admirers. The Eagles’ coach did not hold back in praising Prestianni’s attitude and performances: “He is not in good form, he is in great form. I really like the heart and soul he puts into the games.”

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