Benfica return to winning ways with dominant 4-0 win over Estrela da Amadora | OneFootball

If there was ever a game where José Mourinho needed a clean three points to demonstrate his progress and validate the vision for his Benfica project, this was it. The legendary Portuguese manager has been given a long rope, but three defeats in his last four matches meant the pressure was mounting on Mourinho and Benfica to produce against an Amadora side that came into the match in 13th position.

The Eagles answered the call on Sunday evening with a comprehensive outing, a dominant 4-0 display that proved while Benfica are lagging behind rivals FC Porto and SC Sporting, they should not be counted out of the title race just yet.

Vangelis Pavlidis, Sidny Cabral and 17-year-old rising star Anísio Cabral were all able to get on the scoresheet to help the home side record their 13th league win of the campaign.

Estrela Amadora have suffered a series of poor results and the 4-0 defeat at the Estádio da Luz leaves them hovering just four points above the relegation playoff spot.

Anísio Cabral, who scored the winning goal for Portugal in the U17 World Cup final, made a dream debut for Benfica

Eagles struggle to get going early on

Benfica came into this tie as heavy favourites but suffered an early scare when Leandro Antonetti nearly punished a poor back pass. After tapping the ball around Benfica keeper Anatoliy Trubin, he looked upon an open net in front of him, but his heavy touch allowed António Silva the chance to reach the ball first and clean up the mess, conceding an early corner.

The Lisbon club’s first shot on goal finally arrived in the 6th minute, a tame header, though, from António Silva that dropped directly in the keeper Renan Ribeiro’s hands.

Shortly after that, a glorious chance fell to Aursnes, who controlled Sidny Cabral’s pass well to beat his defender. Using the outside of his foot, the Norwegian tried to slot the ball in the right corner, but his attempt flew just inches wide.

Banjaqui shows confidence and poise

Daniel Banjaqui, brought in to replace Dedić at the right back position, was exceptional early in the match, making some dazzling runs down the wing and nearly connecting with Pavlidis for the opening goal in the 12th minute. A minute later, he took matters into his own hands with a long-range effort from outside the the box. With his weaker left foot, the ball sailed wide of the goal, but it demonstrated the 17-year-old fullback’s confidence and self-belief. A positive sign from a young player who is trying to break through at the highest level.

As the match progressed, he grew into the game and reminded us all why he is considered one of the country’s most exciting young talents.

Estrela continue to frustrate Benfica

Forward Antonetti looked like a lonely figure up top for Amadora, with the Tricolores struggling to even string together a sequence of passes in the opposing half.

In the 28th minute, however, they finally produced an opportunity to do some damage. After Cabral was called for a foul down the right wing, Stoica stepped up to take the free kick from near the corner flag. His cross, though, was easily dealt with by Benfica’s stubborn defence that had hardly been tested up until that point.

The frustration, though, was clearly setting in for Benfica and their supporters as the game approached the halfway mark. Enzo Barrenechea picked up the Reds’ first yellow card after a reckless challenge in the centre of the park. Their captain Otamendi became more vocal towards to referees and opposing players, and the fans began to grow restless as the pace of the game slowed down, favouring Amadora.

Mourinho’s men finally break through

Just as it seemed that Estrela would hang on and take their match to the half level, a moment of brilliance from Benfica’s top scorer, Pavlidis, produced the opening goal. The visitors had done well until that point to keep the target man quiet, but Pavlidis once again showed us why he has firmly cemented himself as the starting striker at one of the globe’s biggest clubs.

Sidny Cabral was the provider on this occasion, with a curling cross from the corner finding that met the Greek striker just outside the six-yard box. The box was congested with black shirts, but it would have taken Gianluigi Buffon himself to somehow keep out Pavlidis powerful and perfectly placed header.

Pavlidis and Cabral’s goals give Benfica second-half cushion

Benfica continued to be the aggressors in the second half and were rewarded for their bold approach with a penalty in the 52nd minute. Jefferson Encada’s late challenge on Cabral was an unnecessary lunge that could have been avoided by the defender, but Cabral’s speed seemed was enough to give him the extra step and force a move by Encada.

From the penalty spot, Pavlidis displayed once again his ability to finish under pressure. Putting the embarrassing miss from the spot against Juventus last week – when he slipped over – out of his mind, the forward hammered a rocket into the top corner of the net to double the lead.

Moments later, it was Cabral’s turn to get on the scoresheet against his former club. The speedy winger broke free from near the halfway line and found himself one-on-one with Ribeiro. The keeper thought about charging out toward the ball, but opted to drop back. That left Cabral with time and space to pick his spot, and the newly signed 23-year-old calmly placed the ball into the lower right side. Cabral had been causing problems throughout the evening, and it was just that he was able to record a goal of his own.

Rafa Silva makes appearance off the bench

Former midfielder Rafa Silva, who returned to the club just this week, was brought on in the 73rd minute to loud applause. The midfielder was first signed by Benfica in 2016 and earned a long list of honours with the club, including Primeira Liga titles in 2017, 2019 and 2023.

Highly rated young prospect adds fourth

In the 83rd minute, with the game seemingly under control, Mourinho made the decision to remove Pavlidis for striker Anísio Cabral, an exciting young prospect from the Benfica academy.

It didn’t take long for the gifted forward to make his mark, connecting with a cross from Banjaqui to head in his first senior goal of his career in the 83rd minute. His excitement was infectious, and the Benfiquistas who made it out to the stadium were thrilled to share the special moment with the rising star.

Benfica 4-0 Estrela da Amadora highlights

Benfica: Anatoliy Trubin, Daniel Banjaqui, António Silva, Nicolás Otamendi, Samuel Dahl, Fredrik Aursnes (Rafa Silva, 73’), Enzo Barrenechea (Leandro Martins, 46’), Sidny Cabral, Gianluca Prestianni (Andreas Schjelderup, 60’), Georgiy Sudakov (Diogo Prioste, 73’), Vangelis Pavlidis (Anísio Cabral, 83)

Estrela da Amadora: Renan Ribeiro, Jefferson Encada, Luan Patrick, Bernardo Schappo, Otávio, Kevin Jansson (Alexandre Sola 65’), Paulo Moreira, Tom Moustier (Eddy Doué, 56’), Jorge Meireles (Alisson Souza, 75’), Ianis Stoica (Rodrigo Pinhho, 75’), Leandro Antonetti (Robinho, 75’)