Benfica held in Braga! Ghost foul denies Mourinho’s side the win | OneFootball

Benfica - which is said to have secured a new signing - drew this Sunday, December 28, in their away match against Braga. In a match counting for the 16th round of the Liga Portugal Betclic, the goals for the Eagles were scored by Nicolás Otamendi (29') and Fredrik Aursnes (53'). Rodrigo Salazar (38') and Pau Victor (45+1') scored for the Arsenalistas.

Otamendi opened the scoring in Braga

Anatoliy Trubin (GK), Amar Dedic, Nicolás Otamendi (C), Tomás Araújo, Samuel Dahl, Richard Ríos, Enzo Barrenechea, Fredrik Aursnes, Leandro Barreiro (80'), Georgiy Sudakov (80') and Vangelis Pavlidis were José Mourinho's initial choices. Gianluca Prestianni (80') and Franjo Ivanovic (80') entered during the match.

The scoring was opened by Nicolás Otamendi in the 29th minute. After a free kick by Georgiy Sudakov, the Eagles' captain headed the ball into the net. Still in the first half, Rodrigo Salazar (38', penalty) and Pau Victor (45+1') put the Arsenalistas ahead.

Benfica's goal disallowed due to phantom foul

At the start of the second half, José Mourinho's team came out strong. In the 53rd minute, in a quick transition, Vangelis Pavlidis passed to Fredrik Aursnes, who placed the ball in the top corner, making it 2-2. Until the end of the match, José Mourinho's team pressed on and even scored a winning goal, but it was disallowed due to a non-existent foul.

With this draw - the seventh in 31 matches this season - Benfica now has 36 points in 16 matches (10 wins and six draws). The Eagles are in third place, two points behind Sporting (38) and seven behind Porto (43). Lions and Dragons have one less game and are yet to play.

Benfica will be back on the field at the beginning of 2026. The Reds will host Estoril next Saturday, January 3, at 6:00 PM, at Estádio da Luz. The match is part of the 17th round of the Liga Portugal Betclic. The Eagles' goal is to secure three points against the team from the Line.

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