Benfica star with 11 titles catches the eye at Estoril clash | OneFootball

Pizzi will hardly forget his return to Estádio da Luz. In the match between Benfica and Estoril, in which the Eagles won 3-1, the midfielder was one of the standout players for the Canaries and received strong affection from the Benfica fans.

According to the newspaper Record, in the edition of this Sunday, January 4th, the former Benfica captain — who left Luz in 2022 — was widely applauded by the stands when the two teams entered the field.

At the end of the match, the player, who represented Benfica for seven and a half seasons, between 2014 and 2022, stayed on the field a bit longer, being applauded once again by the fans of his former club. Additionally, Pizzi made a point of greeting and exchanging a few words with staff members and former teammates.

It is worth remembering that Benfica started 2026 with an important victory against Estoril. In a demanding match, Vangelis Pavlidis was the star, scoring a hat-trick that decided the score. On the Canaries' side, João Carvalho scored the team's consolation goal, managed by Ian Cathro.

With this result, the Clube da Luz took full advantage of Sporting's slip, who drew away at Gil Vicente, reducing the gap between the two rivals to three points. In third place, with 39 points, Benfica now awaits the outcome of the match between Porto and Santa Clara.

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