Benfica banish derby blues with Belenenses rout at the Luz | OneFootball

Less than 24 hours after the defeat to St. Gallen in the first leg of the Europa League second qualifying round, Benfica responded with a 5-1 thrashing of Belenenses in a friendly played at the Estádio da Luz. Marco Silva used the match to rotate the squad, give several academy youngsters a chance, and hand the first minutes to Jhon Durán, who marked his debut in the Benfica shirt with a goal.

The Eagles made the best possible start and went ahead after just two minutes, with Anísio Cabral finishing off a fine team move started by João Rego and João Neto. Although the tempo of the match was not particularly high, Benfica controlled proceedings and created several dangerous chances, with Prestianni playing a standout role.

Belenenses managed to equalize in the 33rd minute, when Bruninho took advantage of a Rui Silva mistake to make it 1-1. The Eagles’ response was immediate: Ivanovic restored Benfica’s lead from the penalty spot in the 38th minute, before Prestianni, in the 45th, capitalized on a mistake by the opposing defense to extend the advantage to 3-1 before halftime.

In the second half, Marco Silva made several changes, and one of them had an immediate impact. Jhon Durán needed just eight minutes on the pitch to score the fourth goal, in the 53rd minute, following a cross from Olívio Tomé. Just two minutes later, in the 55th, the Colombian striker stood out again by setting up Prestianni, who grabbed his brace and sealed the 5-1 result.

Until the final whistle, the Benfica coach continued to hand minutes to several academy youngsters, while Belenenses still threatened to reduce the deficit, but without success. The win allowed Benfica to regain some confidence after the European setback, although all attention is now focused on the second leg against St. Gallen.

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