Turin display puts a dent in Pavlidis’ Benfica journey | OneFootball

After the criticism for his miss against Porto, which led to Benfica's elimination from the Portuguese Cup, Vangelis Pavlidis missed, last Tuesday against Juventus, his first penalty for the Eagles. Until then, he had converted his last 15 penalty kicks for Benfica, and this season alone, he has already scored eight of them in the league.

Pavlidis had the chance to make it 1-2, but slipped at the moment of taking the penalty and shot wide. The Greek international was greatly comforted by his teammates, such as Aursnes and Ivanovic, who immediately tried to console him. Seconds later, João Rego also went to meet him. José Mourinho applauded as well, also trying to lift the striker's spirits.

The month of January has been a nightmare for Benfica who, after the disappointment in Turin, have now suffered their third defeat in the last four games – the only win coming against Rio Ave – in what is their worst run of the season and which could also bring more serious consequences for the team from Luz. While the defeats against Braga and Porto led to elimination from the League Cup and Portuguese Cup, respectively, the outcome of the visit to Juventus’ ground complicated their chances in the playoff race.

It’s worth remembering that Pavlidis and the Eagles will be back on the pitch next Sunday, January 25, at 6:00 pm, at Estádio da Luz, where they will face Estrela da Amadora. The match will count for the 19th round of Liga Portugal Betclic, and the referee is already known.

This season for Benfica, Vangelis Pavlidis – valued at 35 million euros – has played 34 games: 18 in Liga Portugal Betclic, seven in the Champions League, three in the Portuguese Cup, two in the League Cup, and one in the Super Cup. In his 2,816 minutes on the pitch, he has scored 24 goals and provided three assists.

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