Benfica 2-0 Napoli – Eagles roar back into Champions League contention | OneFootball

Benfica beat Napoli 2-0 in the Portuguese capital tonight in what was undoubtedly the Lisbon club’s best performance since José Mourinho returned to the Estádio da Luz dugout earlier this season.

In a whirlwind start the Eagles should have been out of sight by the 20-minute mark but had to settle for a one-goal lead at the interval courtesy of man-of-the-match Richard Ríos.

The hosts continued to boss the game in the second half, Leandro Barreiro doubling the lead and confirming the win.

Benfica move onto six points in the Champions League table to give themselves a fighting chance of making progress in the competition when they seemed dead and buried after 4 defeats in the first 4 matches. Sahir Bhojwani and Tom Kundert report from the Estádio da Luz.

Richard Ríos puts Benfica into a deserved lead. (Photo: Arlindo Homem ©)

Benfica come out all guns blazing against Italian champions

Benfica produced some slick passing early on involving Ivanovic and Leandro Barreiro that nearly saw them win a penalty. The referee was quick to wave it away, but it was a sign that Benfica were looking to come out on the attack.

Otamendi produced their first chance in the fifth minute, connecting with a header from a free kick that tamely ballooned over the bar.

In the 11th minute, Aursnes nearly unlocked the Napoli defence with a beautiful back heel on the counter, which linked up with Ivanovic striding down the middle of the pitch. The striker found himself one-on-one with the keeper and had plenty of time to set up his shot. It turned out to be a poor effort from the Croatian, which Milinkovic-Savic was able to push away. The first real threat from Benfica, but certainly not the last.

Aursnes then had another glorious chance in the 18th minute. An error from keeper Milinkovic-Savic fell right to the midfielder in the box. It seemed harder to miss than to score, given his position and distance from the goal, but Aursnes couldn’t make a clean connection and missed badly.

Benfica were not to be denied, though. A couple of minutes later, Ríos finally found the breakthrough. The Colombian took the initiative when a dangerous ball was sent into the box, drifting away from his marker and latching on to a ball that was floating around in the box. A light touch with his right foot saw the ball pass Napoli’s keeper, giving the home side a well-deserved lead in the 20th minute, and delighting the supporters who made it out to the Estádio da Luz.

Napoli push back

Napoli started to work their way into the match after a sluggish start. David Neres played in Nao Lang in the 27th minute for what would turn out to be Napoli’s first real opportunity. Lang made good contact with the ball from just inside the box. The shot sailed wide, but wouldn’t have counted as the attacker was ruled offside.

In the 29th minute, it was Giovanni Di Lorenzo’s turn. The winger made a smart move to give himself some room in the back post and connected with a curling cross. His header, however, bounced just wide of the goal.

McTominay, who has been one of the bright spots in Napoli’s lineup this year, joined in on the action in the 38th minute with his first opportunity. The Scotsman produced a strong header from just outside the six-yard box, but his effort drifted well over the crossbar. Napoli were knocking on the door but still hadn’t tested Trubin.

Otamendi responded just before the half with a strike that, unfortunately for Benfica, was powered over the bar.

Ivanovic was a surprise starter for Benfica over Pavlidis and the Croatian can be pleased with his display (Photo: Arlindo Homem ©)

Benfica pile on pressure again in second half

Napoli would’ve been looking to rebound in the second half after failing to muster a shot on target, but it turned out to be Benfica who would once again find the net. Within minutes of the restart, Barreiro recorded his first CL goal of the campaign. The Luxembourgish international, who was tasked with accompanying Ivanovic up front, was able to get on the end of a low ball from Ríos, and the faintest of touches was enough for the ball to slowly steer past Milinkovic-Savic for Benfica’s second. It was the perfect start to the second half for Mourinho and his men.

The pressure was growing on Napoli, and the Italian side picked up the pace and started pushing men forward. Mourinho’s side, however, looked content to hold on to the two-goal cushion, and an organised back four that was supported by midfielders Enzo Barrenechea and Ríos continued to frustrate the visitors. Napoli’s passing and fluidity improved as the match progressed, but they struggled to find that final piece of magic to unlock Benfica’s defence.

Neres’ long-range left-footed shot in the 70th minute was well handled by Trubin, who casually tipped it over the bar for a corner.

Mourinho brings on the reinforcements

In the 76th minute, Mourinho finally turned to his bench with Vangelis Pavlidis and António SIlva making their way onto the pitch in place of Ivanovic and Sudakov, a move that clearly signalled the manager’s intent to shut up shop over the final 15 minutes.

Pavlidis nearly made an immediate impact, lashing a low shot that forced a good save. It would have been the perfect finish to a well-coordinated counterattack from Benfica.

The Greek forward nearly broke through again after a well-placed through ball saw the keeper forced off his line. Pavlidis was able to turn and face the goal, but his attempt to chip the stopper was well saved.

Napoli dangerman Scott McTominay was kept quiet by Benfica. (Photo: Arlindo Homem ©)

There was plenty of stoppage time due to a series of injuries and cards, but Benfica were able to close out the match and retain a clean sheet. The 2-0 scoreline was impressive against the reigning Italian champions, but in all honesty, the Eagles could have had three or four on the night. Overall, this was Benfica’s best performance of the season, and their most complete performance of the Mourinho era.

Benfica: Anatoliy Trubin, Amar Dedic, Nicolás Otamendi, Tomás Araújo, Samuel Dahl, Enzo Barrenechea, Georgiy Sudakov (António Silva, 76’), Leandro Barreiro (José Neto, 90’), Richard Ríos, Fredrik Aursnes (Tiago Freitas, 90’), Franjo Ivanovic (Vangelis Pavlidis, 76’)

Napoli: Vanja Milinkovic-Savic, Giovanni Di Lorenzo, Alessandro Buongiorno (Juan Jesus, 59’), Sam Beukema, Amir Rrahmani, Mathías Olivera, Scott McTominay, Elif Elmas (Antonio Vergara, 81’), David Neres, Rasmus Højlund, Noa Lang (Lorenzo Lucca, 74’)