Bad weather made life difficult for the Eagles

MATCH HIGHLIGHTS 

In a match marked by bad weather and a heavy pitch, Benfica drew at Vitória SC (2-2) on matchday 21 of the Liga Betclic. Rafa and Arthur Cabral scored the goals that kept the unbeaten run in the competition to 20 consecutive games.

Before the starting whistle, captain Otamendi, accompanied by the rest of the Reds and Vitória SC players, laid a wreath on the pitch in memory of Miklós Fehér, who died at the Estádio D. Afonso Henriques on January 25, 2004. The moment was marked by a huge ovation from the crowd and chants evoking the name of the Hungarian footballer.

With the ball rolling, Benfica's eleven of Trubin, Bah, António Silva, Otamendi, Morato, João Neves, Kökcü, Aursnes, João Mário, Di María and Rafa struggled to impose their game due to the water that was accumulating on the pitch and holding up the ball.

In the 23rd minute, from a free-kick, it was Kökcü who came close to making it 0-1. From a free-kick down the left, Benfica's number 10 fired a powerful shot that was saved by Charles.

After a corner, Luís Godinho awarded a penalty to the Minho side. At first, Morato deflected the ball against Jorge Fernandes' arm, and it fell to Tomás Ribeiro, who went down in the box after a dispute with Kökcü. The VAR analysis confirmed Luís Godinho's decision, and Tiago Silva fired home to make it 1-0 in the 35th minute.

Benfica's response didn't take long, and 1-1 arrived in the 40th minute. With a great pass, António Silva found Di María on the right flank and the Argentine delivered an excellent cross to Rafa, who was alone in the box and slotted the ball into the back of the net. It was the Portuguese forward's ninth goal in the Liga Betclic.

For the second half, Roger Schmidt brought on Florentino and Arthur Cabral in place of Kökcü and João Mário. The Brazilian striker's impact was immediate, and in the 46th minute he went down in the box in a dispute with Borevkovic, where Luís Godinho didn't see a possible penalty.

Always looking for space behind the Reds' central defenders, Vitória SC put the ball into Trubin's net in the 56th minute, but the shot was disallowed for a clear irregular position by Jota. However, the Minho side did eventually make it 2-1 in the 61st minute. Set up by Bruno Gaspar, Jota crossed from the right to the heart of the penalty box, where André Silva scored with a subtle touch.

After Neres and Álvaro Carreras had replaced João Neves and Aursnes, the Reds saw their commitment and resilience rewarded with 2-2. António Silva won the second ball following a Di María corner and returned it to the No11. He worked his way past two opponents and delivered a tense cross to Arthur Cabral, who headed the ball into the back of the net in the 90th minute. It was the fourth goal in the last four games for the Brazilian striker, who has nine in all competitions.

In the six minutes of stoppage time given by João Godinho, Benfica never gave up looking for a comeback but failed to create a clear goal-scoring opportunity until the final whistle.

The eagles return to the pitch next Thursday, February 15, against Toulouse, in the first leg of the play-off for access to the last 16 of the Europa League. The match is scheduled for Estádio da Luz and will kick off at 8 pm.