Benfica have little to smile about ahead of the Clássico with Porto | OneFootball

The junior team of Benfica lost important points on the morning of this Saturday, February 7th. During their visit to Rio Ave's ground, in the 3rd round match of the championship qualifying phase, the reds could only manage a draw (1-1). Tomás Soares scored for the eagles.

Leonardo Lopes, Diogo Coelho, Ricardo Neto, Mauro Furtado, Nilson Semedo, Rafael Quintas, André Vakulyuk, Isaac Ferreira, Diego Castel-Branco, Tomás Soares, and Gustavo Ferreira were Vítor Vinha's initial choices, days after the victory against Slavia Prague, for the Youth League.

Playing away, at the venue of the Vilacondenses, Benfica showed no signs of pressure and took control of the match. After creating several opportunities, Tomás Soares, one of the standout players of the eagles' under-19s, put the Club of Light ahead with a goal scored in the 29th minute.

In the second half, the reds came in eager to extend their lead, but it was Rio Ave who smiled at the start of the second half. Just at the 61st minute, Miguel Patrício leveled the score, countering the reds' superiority. Until the final whistle, the score remained unchanged.

With this result, the eagles' junior team marks a step back in this decisive phase of the championship, after having defeated Santa Clara in the previous round. As it stands, Benfica climbed to the top of the national championship, provisionally, with only 5 points. The next duel is scheduled for February 21st, with the Classic against Porto.

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