Qualification cooked in a cauldron of emotions

MATCH HIGHLIGHTS

Benfica advanced to the Portuguese quarter-finals after beating Braga by 3-2 this Wednesday, January 10, with goals from Rafa, Arthur Cabral and Aursnes. Unity between the team and the crowd was decisive in overcoming an early deficit and achieving victory.

Roger Schmidt repeated the starting eleven used in the triumph against Arouca (0-3) on matchday 16 of the Liga Betclic, fielding Trubin, Aursnes, António Silva, Otamendi, Morato, João Neves, Kökcü, Di María, João Mário, Rafa and Arthur Cabral. In the bench, the presence of Marcos Leonardo was the big news.

Benfica came out well and wanted to take control of the game, but Braga were effective enough to take the lead after just 8 minutes. Following a good save by Trubin from Víctor Gómez's shot, the Minhotos took advantage of a corner kick and put the ball to Zalazar, whose shot from outside the box took a deflection off João Mário to fool the Reds goalkeeper (0-1).

Roger Schmidt's side's dominance in the match was crowned by a goal from Rafa in the 42nd minute. Following an attacking set-piece from Braga, João Neves stretched out to play the ball towards Kökcü in front of two opponents. With his head held high, the Turk saw Rafa's run and assisted the No 27, who sprinted towards goal and beat Hornicek, scoring his third goal in the last three games.

With the Estádio da Luz on fire, the comeback came in lightning fashion. At 44', following a Morato's throw-in from the left, Arthur Cabral shielded the ball with his body, he beat Serdar with a neat dribble and shot straight through Hornicek's legs to make it 2-1. Overjoyed, the striker celebrated his fifth goal with the fans!

On returning from the break, the Minho side was again effective. On the rebound from a corner kick, Zalazar hit a powerful shot that hit the bar before entering the Benfica goal. It was 2-2 in the 49th minute, with Trubin having no chance.

Moving up the pitch with the ball under control, António Silva played a pass through Braga's lines towards Arthur Cabral, who isolated Aursnes with a superb backheel pass. Cold, the Norwegian international broke into the box and shot for Benfica's third (3-2) in the 70th minute! Third goal in 2023/24 for the No. 8, who has already equaled last season's record.

If the team lacked strength, a vitamin arrived in the 73rd minute. In a tribute to mark the 10th anniversary of Eusébio's death, which had already been remembered in a video shown before the starting whistle, the vast majority of the 56,018 spectators present at the Estádio da Luz gave the King a standing ovation. A chilling moment that gave even more heart to the team, who wore black armbands to evoke the memory of Eusébio!

In the 90th minute, another highlight of the evening. Replaced by Musa, Arthur Cabral, who was later voted Man of the Match, was given a standing ovation by the Benfica fans, who also didn't spare any applause for Di María, who was replaced by Tiago Gouveia. Comfortable in the match, the Glorioso even threatened a fourth goal in the 90'+4', with Hornicek saving Kökcü's free-kick.

Having qualified for the quarter-finals of the Portuguese Cup and clinched their sixth consecutive win in all competitions, with a score of 17 goals scored and four conceded, Benfica will return to the pitch next Sunday, January 14, against Rio Ave. The last match of the first half of the Liga Betclic (matchday 17) starts at 6 pm, at Estádio da Luz.