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The referee David Silva blows the whistle, ending the match at the Estádio da Luz. A well-deserved victory for Benfica, who played a completely different game in the second half and scored from their chances. Red Star Belgrade failed to trouble the opposing defense.
Key moments
Goal for Benfica! Barreiro passed the ball forward to right-back Daniel Banjaqui, who delivered a perfect cross for Anísio Cabral, who headed it into the corner to score his first professional goal.
Latest changes at Benfica! Coach José Mourinho made his final substitution, taking off the team's top scorer Pavlidis and bringing on the young Anísio Cabral. The change is intended to rest the Greek player and give the youngster an opportunity.
Latest changes at Estrela Amadora! Coach João Nuno made three substitutions to the team, bringing in Robinho, Alisson and Rodrigo Pinho, while Antonetti, Ianis Stoica and João Meirelles left the team. The changes are intended to provide more energy.
Changes at Benfica! Coach José Mourinho made two more substitutions, Fredrik Aursnes and number 10 Sudakov left the field, and midfielder Diogo Prioste and Rafa Silva entered the team. The midfielder made his return to the team and received a standing ovation from the fans.
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Benfica has been controlling the game, finding it easier to get into attacking positions and finishing their plays better. Estrela Amadora seems to have been affected by the goals and is unable to trouble Benfica's defense.
Changes at Estrela Amadora! After conceding their third goal, coach João Nuno made another substitution, bringing on midfielder Alex Sola, who leaves the team with more dynamism and aims to improve their passing game.
Goal for Benfica! Goalkeeper Trubin launched a long ball forward, striker Pavlidis challenged the defender, and the ball fell to Sidiny Cabral. The winger found himself one-on-one with the goalkeeper and shot into the corner, applying the "Law of the Ex" (former player scoring against his old team).
Goal for Benfica! From the penalty spot, striker Pavlidis shot the ball high, completely leaving goalkeeper Renan Ribeiro with no chance of making a save, scoring his nineteenth league goal.
Penalty for Benfica! Sidny Cabral received the pass in the area and got there before Jefferson Encarga, but ended up being stepped on. Referee David Silva hesitated a bit, but awarded the penalty to the home team.
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The referee David Silva blows his whistle! The second half begins at the Estádio da Luz. Benfica will try to maintain the same style of play and will be looking for a second goal. Estrela Amadora will play with more speed and exploit the spaces. At halftime, Barreiro came on for Enzo Barrenechea.
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The referee David Silva blows his whistle, signaling the end of the first half at the Estádio da Luz. The first half was quite balanced; Benfica managed to open the scoring at the end of the first half through sheer persistence, while Red Star struggled to maintain attacking pressure.
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Almost a second goal for Benfica! Sudakov passed the ball forward to Prestianni, the striker shot hard across goal, but goalkeeper Renan Ribeiro made a good save and on the rebound, the Estrela Amadora defense cleared the ball away.
Yellow card for Benfica! Fernando Meirelles was making a run, but Fredrik Aursnes pulled the midfielder back, stopping Estrela Amadora's counter-attack, and was shown a yellow card by referee David Silva, who didn't even protest.
Goal for Benfica! Sidny Cabral took the corner kick into the middle of the area and the Greek Pavlidis rose and headed it into the corner, giving goalkeeper Renan Ribeiro no chance and opening the scoring at the Estádio da Luz.
Yellow card for Benfica! Enzo Barrenechea and Jorge Meirelles went for the ball in midfield, and the Benfica player made a very strong tackle, and the Estrela Amadora player came off worse; the referee showed Barrenechea a yellow card.
Yellow card for Estrela Amadora! Midfielder Ianis Stoica made a strong challenge with defender Nicolas Otamendi; the Argentinian fell to the ground in considerable pain, and referee David Silva showed the midfielder a yellow card, meaning he will be on a yellow card for the rest of the match.
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Benfica has more possession of the ball, 65% to 35%, but cannot be effective and has stopped creating danger. Estrela Amadora is managing to mark the opponent's plays well, but does not go into the attacking field and does not trouble goalkeeper Trubin.
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Benfica had more possession in the attacking half and tried to cross the ball into the box, but couldn't get their headers on target. Red Star Belgrade focused on defending and offered little threat to the opposing defense.
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Another chance for Benfica! Sidny Cabral took the free kick and struck it with great precision, but goalkeeper Renan Ribeiro made a flying save, parrying the ball for a corner and preventing a Benfica goal early in the game.
Yellow card for Red Star! Greek striker Pavlidis was making a run through the middle and was brought down by midfielder Kevin Jansson. Referee David Silva showed the midfielder a yellow card, marking his debut appearance.
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Benfica are spending more time in the attacking half, playing down the wings and relying on crosses into the box, while Red Star are playing more defensively and trying to impose a strong marking strategy, but are unable to create a tight defense.
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Benfica's first chance! Lopes Cabral made a good play on the left and crossed into the area, Fredrik Aursnes appeared as a surprise element, got ahead of his marker and shot towards the corner, but he went too far and the ball went just wide.
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Estrela Amadora first chance! Defender Nicolás Otamendi made a poor back pass, Antonetti got there first and chipped the ball past goalkeeper Trubin; it was heading for the goal, but defender Antonio Silva cleared it for a corner.
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The referee David Silva blows his whistle, the ball is rolling at the Estádio da Luz, a game that should be lively, Benfica will press high up the pitch and look for a good at every opportunity, Estrela Amadora will sit back and play on the counter-attack.
Importance of a Benfica victory
For Benfica, a victory is fundamental to continue dreaming of the Portuguese Championship title, maintaining their unbeaten record in the competition, and gaining confidence for the next match against Real Madrid, considered so far the most important game of the season. Furthermore, a win would reduce the gap to Sporting, the current runner-up in the championship, to three points.
Importance of a Estrela Amadora victory
For Estrela Amadora, a victory is extremely important to stay away from the relegation zone and overcome the team's current poor form. A win would also allow the club to start dreaming of a possible qualification for an international competition.
Favorite for the match
José Mourinho highlighted that, after the match against Juventus, valid for the Champions League group stage, the team had three days of preparation, which the squad used well: “I think this will allow us to arrive in optimal condition and continue the championship we are having, without defeats, with more points than last season. But, obviously, playing at home against Estrela da Amadora, with all due respect, any result other than a victory would be very bad for us.”
Recognizing the opponent
Coach João Nuno praised the Benfica team and acknowledged the difficulty of the match: “Benfica, in the League, has no defeats. Therefore, it will be an extremely difficult game, but we will try to compete and play to win. This is the kind of challenge I like to participate in and I want to win it.”
Departures and arrivals
Estrela da Amadora announced the arrival of Eddy Gueladan Doué to the main squad. The midfielder, who played for Paris Saint-Germain's under-21 team, was signed permanently and signed a contract valid until 2028, reinforcing the midfield options in this winter transfer window.
On the other hand, the club confirmed the permanent transfer of Guilherme Montóia to Jagiellonia Białystok, in Poland.
Estrela Amadora Reserves
These are the players who are on the Estrela Amadora reserve team for this match: Diogo Pinto, Gabriel Rodrigues, Robson Boteho, Rodrigo Pinho, Pape Fuhrer, Gueladan Doue, Alex Sola, Alisson Jesus and João Gastão.
Benfica Reserves
These are the players who are on the Benfica reserve team for this match: Arnas Voitinovicius, Franjo Ivanovic, Amar Dedic, Leandro Barreiro, Schjelderup, Rafael Silva, Tomás Araújo, Anísio Cabral and Diogo Prioste.
New signing for Benfica
Benfica announced the return of experienced midfielder Rafa. The arrival was celebrated, but with caution:
“Rafa is always an asset. He is a great player, with a lot of experience and total knowledge of what it means to play for Benfica. In any context and attacking position, he has a lot to offer. However, he hasn't played for months and hasn't trained with the team, only individually, so we can't expect the best Rafa to miraculously appear tomorrow at the Estádio da Luz.”
“Rafa is always an asset. He is a great player, with a lot of experience and total knowledge of what it means to play for Benfica. In any context and attacking position, he has a lot to offer. However, he hasn't played for months and hasn't trained with the team, only individually, so we can't expect the best Rafa to miraculously appear tomorrow at the Estádio da Luz.”
Estrela Amadora's missing players and those suspended
Estrela Amadora will have two important absences: Marcus and Jovane, both suspended for the match. French midfielder Eddy Doué, signed from Paris Saint-Germain, was recently announced, but is not yet fit to debut.
Benfica's missing players and those suspended
Benfica will be without striker Dodi Lukebakio. In addition to him, Alexander Bah, who is recovering from a knee injury, and midfielder Richard Ríos, with a shoulder problem, remain in the medical department.
Refereeing
The referee for the match will be David Silva (POR), assisted by Carlos Campos (POR) and Nelson Cunha (POR). The fourth official will be José Rodrigues (POR), and the VAR will be under the command of João Malheiro Pinto (POR).
Estrela Amadora Lineup
The Estrela Amadora lineup has been released, and Estrela will field this team:
Renan Ribeiro; Jefferson Encada, Patrick, Schappo, Otávio; Moreira (C), Kevin Jansson; Tom Moustier, Ianis Stoica, Meireles; Antonetti
Renan Ribeiro; Jefferson Encada, Patrick, Schappo, Otávio; Moreira (C), Kevin Jansson; Tom Moustier, Ianis Stoica, Meireles; Antonetti
Benfica Lineup
The Benfica lineup has been released, and the Eagles will field this team:
Anatoliy Trubin; Dedic, Nicolas Otamendi, Tomás Araujo, Samuel Dahl; Lopes Cabral and Fredrik Aursnes; Prestianni, Sudakov and Enzo Barrenechea; Pavlidis
Anatoliy Trubin; Dedic, Nicolas Otamendi, Tomás Araujo, Samuel Dahl; Lopes Cabral and Fredrik Aursnes; Prestianni, Sudakov and Enzo Barrenechea; Pavlidis
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