Benfica held to 2-2 draw in Braga, could fall 10 points behind FC Porto | OneFootball

Benfica suffered a 2-2 draw at Estádio da Pedreira against SC Braga this Sunday, in the 16th round of the I Liga. The Eagles now have 36 points, but could fall 10 points behind leaders FC Porto if the Dragons beat Aves SAD, the last-placed team.

Otamendi and Aursnes scored for Benfica, while Pau Victor and Rodrigo Zalazar scored for the Minho team.

The team led by Carlos Vicens did not take advantage of Gil Vicente's draw and remains in 5th place, with 26 points, one point below César Peixoto's team.

Braga dominates, Benfica scores

At 27 minutes, Benfica gave the first sign of danger at Pedreira, in a game where SC Braga controlled the pace, although without creating clear chances. The shot came from afar, by Richard Rios, after a combination on the right between Dedic and Pavlidis.

Three minutes later came the second opportunity for the Eagles: a corner kick taken by Sudakov and Otamendi, jumping alone, headed in for 1-0. Benfica was in front, despite having created little until then.

Before the 1-0, the Minho team had requested a penalty, in a play between João Moutinho and Aursnes in the Eagles' area, at nine minutes, after a poor approach by Trubin. Ricardo Horta saw the ball in the back of the Ukrainian goalkeeper's net, but referee João Gonçalves annulled the goal, ruling there was a foul on Otamendi – Horta denied contact with the defender.

SC Braga was playing better football at home.

Benfica in 'Santa Claus' mode

The turnaround for the Arsenalistas came before halftime. At 35 minutes, João Gonçalves annulled a previous equalizer for the Minho team – Pau Victor had beaten Trubin, but was in an offside position – and awarded a penalty due to a handball by Samuel Dahl, who did not keep his arms in a natural position. Rodrigo Zalazar converted the penalty, at 38 minutes.

In first-half stoppage time, Richard Rios lost the ball in the area after slipping; Pau Victor got past Tomás Araújo and Otamendi and shot across to make it 2-1, at 45+1.

Mourinho adjusts, Eagles react at Pedreira

At halftime, José Mourinho made no changes, despite his team being at a disadvantage against Braga's offensive mobility and superiority in the Minho midfield. Benfica returned as a different team for the second half: more dominant in possession and with Braga disorganized in their marking.

The equalizer came at 53 minutes, in a quick transition. After a dubious play in midfield that left Ricardo Horta asking for a foul, Benfica launched a counter-attack through Rios, who served Pavlidis; he assisted Aursnes, who shot powerfully from outside the area for a great goal. 2-2 on the scoreboard.

From then on, it was Benfica creating more danger. At 56 minutes, Tomás Araújo broke out from his area, won a rebound, and shot powerfully, in a play where Hornicek saved for a corner. The Braga goalkeeper again denied a goal at 71 minutes with a difficult save from Dahl's shot.

At 66 minutes, Pavlidis had scored after an excellent pass from Sudakov, but the play was annulled for offside.

João Gonçalves annulled another goal for the Eagles at 75 minutes, for a foul by Richard Rios on Vítor Gómez in the play. The Benfica players claimed a penalty following a cross from Aursnes that hit Dorgeles' arm, which was placed close to his body.

Carlos Vicens tried to curb Benfica's momentum with three substitutions: Grillitsch, Fran Navarro, and Gabri Martínez came in for João Moutinho, Pau Victor, and Dorgeles. Mourinho responded at 80 minutes with the entries of Ivanović and Prestianni for Sudakov and Leandro Barreiro.

Benfica continued to be the more attacking team. At 80 minutes, Dahl isolated Aursnes for the 3-2, but the Norwegian missed the finish. In stoppage time, Ricardo Horta was sent off with a double yellow after a foul on Prestianni, leaving Braga to hold on to the draw with ten players.

Benfica closes 2025 with a draw and 36 points, potentially starting the new year 10 points behind FC Porto if the Dragons beat Aves SAD. SC Braga did not take advantage of Gil Vicente's draw and remains in 5th place, with 26 points.

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