Epic night, great display and round of 16 in the bag on anniversary day

MATCH HIGHLIGHTS

With a 4-3 win over Juventus on matchday 5 of group H, Benfica has stamped its way into the round of 16 of the Champions League. On its anniversary, Estádio da Luz received a millionaire gift!

Two teams with two wins in their respective championships. Roger Schmidt kept the eagles' eleven that started the derby at Estádio do Dragão; Massimiliano Allegri made one change compared to the clash with Empoli: Rugani stepped out and Gatti came in at the center of the defense. 

At 17', Enzo made a cross on the left and António Silva scored the 1-0 with a header. It was the young center-back's first goal for the Club's first team.

The Italians answered right away, on 21'. A well-taken corner kick, deflected in the penalty box, Vlahovic shot, Odysseas saved and Moise Kean, on the rebound, tied the score (1-1). The team put pressure on Juventus and the result was a penalty for the reds for Cuadrado's hand on the ball (26'). Serbian referee Srdjan Jovanovic pointed to the 11-meter mark, and João Mário beat Szczesny. It was 2-1 in the game, at 28'.

Fast attack by the eagles, Rafa received in the middle, between the lines, passed to João Mário, the number 20 crossed from the right and Rafa, with a back heel, extended the lead to 3-1, at 35'. The Cathedral, on the day of its 19th anniversary, was graced with another epic European evening.

The match went into halftime with Benfica winning by 3-1.

At the resumption, and knowing he had to change the course of events, Massimiliano Allegri made some changes in the attack: he brought in Milik and took Moise Kean out of the match. However, it was Benfica that extended the lead at 50'. The reds pressured the Italians, recovered the ball in the attacking zone, and Grimaldo assisted Rafa. The number 27, in front of Szczesny, chipped the ball and celebrated the 4-1.

The game seemed to be under control, but the bianconeri came back into the game with two goals in two minutes. Through the winger Iling-Junior, who came on during the second half, created two crosses that allowed Milik (77') to score with a left-footed shot and McKennie (79') to score after a play with several rebounds.

Benfica beat Juventus by 4-3, now has 11 points in group H and secures its presence in the round of 16 for the 7th time since de competition is called Champions League. The final match of the group stage is away at Maccabi Haifa at 8 pm on November 2 (Wednesday) and the eagles start on an equal footing with PSG (11 points).