Fredrik Aursnes hits milestone in Benfica’s win over Rio Ave | OneFootball

Back to his roots playing as a central midfielder in the victory against Rio Ave (2-0) – where another Eagles midfielder also stood out – Aursnes commanded Benfica’s operations and was so involved in the match that he even broke records during his time with the Eagles. With an accuracy rate of 91.9%, the 30-year-old Norwegian registered the highest number of passes (109) and accurate passes (100), in an analysis that includes both Champions League and league matches.

The number 8 for the Reds had only twice before recorded more than 100 passes, both in his first season wearing the Eagles’ shirt, in 2022/23, with Roger Schmidt as head coach: he made 104 passes (96 accurate) in the 2-0 win against Famalicão, and 100 (94 accurate) also against Rio Ave, in a 4-2 victory. In both matches, just like last Saturday, Aursnes played as a central midfielder.

To put this number into perspective, only Enzo Barrenechea, against Santa Clara, registered more passes. He made 151 passes (143 accurate). In this context, Aursnes also recorded his highest number of passes into the final third this season on Saturday (16), having made 67 passes in the opponent’s half. Only in 2025/26, against Nacional (76), did he surpass this.

Defensively, the Nordic player also covered the field by making 10 recoveries. This is a new season high, and for Benfica, he only surpassed this number twice: 12 in the 3-1 win against Boavista in 2022/23, and 15 in the 3-1 victory at Salzburg in 2023/24.

This season, wearing the Benfica shirt, Fredrik Aursnes – valued at 17 million euros – is one of the undisputed starters for the Club of Light. In total, the midfielder has already played 35 official matches, across domestic competitions and the Champions League. In the 2,988 minutes he has been on the pitch, he has recorded four goals and six assists.

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