Leonor Pinhão on Benfica’s injured player: "His absence was costly... | OneFootball

Leonor Pinhão highlighted, in her most recent opinion piece, the impact of the absence of Fredrik Aursnes, especially in the Benfica - Porto (2-2) match. Additionally, the columnist also points out the importance of Andreas Schjelderup, drawing the following conclusion: "Without Norway, we’d be in real trouble."

"The absence of Fredrik Aursnes compromised Benfica’s ambitions in the match against Porto. This was the first, so obvious, conclusion reached by dozens of commentators on the subject when they found themselves obliged to explain the twists and turns of the last classic," she said, in an opinion published in the newspaper Record.

Additionally, the columnist addressed the subsequent context provided by José Mourinho: "Benfica’s own coach took that line in his assessments of the match and went so far as to make critical comparisons between the Norwegian’s performance—regardless of who plays alongside him—and the performance of the South American duo signed in the last summer transfer window."

However, Leonor Pinhão highlights another important compatriot: "Aursnes is not, however, the only Norwegian Benfica can count on at Luz. Andreas Schjelderup, nine years younger than his compatriot, was named man of the match in Benfica’s last three league games. For the football he plays and the goals he scores, he is now a key player in the team, who would have thought? Especially considering he was close to leaving in the last winter transfer window."

In conclusion, the columnist states: "And that’s how things are at Benfica—without Norway, we’d be in real trouble, there’s no other conclusion. Benfica has already thrived thanks to excellent groups of Brazilian players, as well as outstanding groups of Swedish players, and even exceptional Argentinians like Aimar, Sálvio, Gaitán, and Enzo Pérez. But times change, and now it’s two Norwegians who are the new indispensables."

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