Benfica revive Champions League hopes with 2-0 win against Ajax in Amsterdam | OneFootball

Leandro Barreiro scores at the Johan Cruijff Arena to make sure of the points for Benfica. (Photo: Dean Mouhtaropoulos/Getty Images)

Benfica kept their hopes of making progress to the knockout phase of the Champions League alive tonight thanks to a 2-0 victory against Ajax in the Netherlands.

Two fine goals, one at the start of the match by Samuel Dahl, the other and the end of the match by Leandro Barreiro, gave the Eagles their first three points of the UCL league phase in 2025/26.

Benfica fans will be hoping the club has turned the corner after a spirited display and a deserved victory.

European greats fallen on hard times

The game pitted together Europe’s best team in the 1960s against Europe’s best team of the 1970s, but both clubs are a long way from those golden years, with neither Benfica nor Ajax registering a single point in the Champions League before tonight.

Benfica got off to the perfect start. Richard Ríos headed towards goal from a corner, bringing a fine reflex save out of Vítezslav Jaros, but the ball fell to left-back Samuel Dahl who fired in a terrific volley that arrowed into the top corner of the net. Six minutes gone, Ajax 0-1 Benfica.

Benfica continued to hold the ascendency, Pavlidis lashing a shot into the side-netting after a good move.

Ajax were clearly a team shot of confidence. A Davy Klasssen effort comfortably saved by Trubin was the only goal attempt worthy of note by the hosts in the first half.

Ajax fight back

The second half was a different story with Ajax gradually notching up the pressure against a Benfica team that increasingly retreated towards their own goal.

Trubin tipped Bounida’s shot over the bar in the 50th minute, and soon afterwards Klaassen missed a golden opportunity to equalise when a neat one-touch combination in the box with Wout Weghorst gave the Ajax captain a clear sight at goal, only for him to wastefully scuff his shot wide with only Trubin to beat.

Ajax were now camped in the Benfica half, but the Portuguese side produced a dangerous counter-attack in the 72nd minute, Amar Dedic’s low shot well saved by Jaros.

The introduction of the lively Oscar Gloukh caused more problems for Benfica’s defence as the hosts went into all-out attack mode, and only a sharp save by Trubin denied the Israeli an equaliser.

Benfica shut up shop and kill the game

Mourinho had seen enough, bringing on Tomás Araújo for a five-man defence for the final minutes, and the substitution proved effective, the extra numbers at the back stunting Ajax’s momentum.

The game was made safe in the 90th minute when Araújo won the ball deep in his own half and served Fredrik Aursnes, who threaded a peach of a pass into the path of Barreiro who outran his marker and lashed a thunderous finish into the roof of the net with his left foot.

Manu Silva comeback

There was more good news for Benfica late on as Manu Silva made his first appearance in almost a year as he takes the first steps towards regaining match fitness after recovering from his ACL injury.

With Napoli (home), Juventus (away) and Real Madrid (home) the remaining fixtures, Benfica still have a tough job on their hands to stay alive beyond the league phase. Last season, fewer than 11 points meant elimination from the competition.