Benfica embrace favourites tag, kick off with a win in the League Cup | OneFootball

The women's team of Benfica kicked off another participation in the Women's League Cup, a competition of which they are the current title holders. In the match for the first round of the group stage, the Eagles traveled to Madeira, where they faced Marítimo. After 90 minutes, the scoreboard showed a result of 5-1 for the Reds.

This marks a return to national competitions after the Eagles played another round of the Champions League during the week, where they lost to Arsenal. Against the island team, Ivan Baptista decided to make changes to the lineup to give more playing time to less utilized players. These were the Benfica coach's choices: Rute Costa, Joana Silva, Cristina Prieto, Letícia Almeida, Carole Costa, Diana Silva, Lara Martins, Chandra Davidson, Carolina Tristão, Carissa Boeckmann, and Neide Guedes.

At the Estádio da Imaculada Conceição, the Reds showed early on their desire to score, however, the goals only came in the last 15 minutes of the first half. In the 31st minute, Diana Silva put the Eagles ahead on the scoreboard. However, 10 minutes later, Fatumata Sissé equalized for the islanders.

With the score tied, Benfica entered the second 45 minutes determined to turn the situation around and, 2 minutes after the restart, Carissa Boeckmann put the Glorious back in front. As the match entered the last 20 minutes, Neide Guedes found the net and left the Eagles leading 3-1. In the 80th minute, Gabi Zidoi scored an own goal, making it 4-1. However, the goals didn't stop there, and Lara Martins further extended the lead by scoring the 5-1 in the 87th minute.

With this result, Ivan Baptista's team kicked off their participation in the League Cup, a competition they aim to retain at the end of the season. After earning three points, the Eagles jump to the top of Group A. The next match in the competition is scheduled for January 4, against Vitória de Guimarães.

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