Porto lose 2-3 to Benfica at home, out of Portuguese Cup | OneFootball

Benfica defeated FC Porto 3-2 and secured a place in the quarter-finals of the Portuguese Cup. Three goals scored in the first half and the ability to withstand Porto’s pressure in the second half were enough for the Eagles to prevail at Dragão Arena.

In the fourth minute, with the game still lacking clear chances, Benfica took advantage of their first opportunity. João Rodrigues finished off a classy play by Roberto di Benedetto, who, after getting past two opponents, created space in the area, unbalanced Xavi Malián, and delivered the final pass to his teammate, who simply tapped it in for 1-0.

The Eagles gained momentum and, three minutes later, Zé Miranda extended the lead to 2-0, benefiting from FC Porto’s defensive weaknesses that allowed him to shoot unopposed from the center, leaving Malián helpless.

The match threatened to be decided in Benfica’s favor, but FC Porto responded immediately after the restart. Gonçalo Alves pulled one back with a long-range shot that beat Conti Acevedo, halting Benfica’s momentum.

This was followed by a series of interventions from the goalkeepers: Xavi Malián denied a powerful shot from Zé Miranda, while Conti Acevedo prevented the equalizer at the other end by deflecting the ball onto the post—with his helmet. Even so, it was the Porto goalkeeper who came out on top by saving a penalty from João Rodrigues shortly after.

Almost at halftime, after Benfica had quickly reached their eighth foul, Nil Roca gave his team hope by making it 1-3, finishing off a fast counterattack with a numerical advantage.

The second half began with a more dangerous FC Porto. After both teams hit the posts, Benfica committed their tenth foul and Carlo di Benedetto reduced the deficit again for the Dragons—who then had a penalty, but Conti Acevedo once again denied Gonçalo Alves’ shot.

The blue and whites did not manage to equalize and gradually lost intensity, accumulating fouls until they reached their tenth with 13 minutes left, which resulted in a direct free for Benfica. Zé Miranda did not convert, and the classic remained open until the final whistle. Four shots against the woodwork were the closest Paulo Freitas’ team came to forcing extra time.

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