Benfica 2 v 1 PSG

Benfica 2 v 1PSG

After having witnessed Braga beat Liverpool 1-0 and their fiercest rivals FC Porto grab a 0-1 victory in Moscow against CSKA, Benfica needed a win to complete the Portuguese hat-trick in the Europa League.

The French side PSG were in no mood to let Benfica play their all out attacking football, with Manager Kombouare stating that the team would be happy top defend and catch Benfica on the counter attack.

The eagles got the game well underway when Gaitan tested Edel with a shot just outside the area, calling for an acrobatic save.

Benfica then went on a defending duty with Erdnic twisting and turning the defence in and out and requiring Roberto do pull a save out of the blue.

But it was PSG that on the 15^th minute found the defence out of shape, with Sidnei having drifted away from his man, allowed Luyindula to slip in between Coentrao and beat Roberto on his Left side.

Benfica kept the constant attack towards PSG goal, with mainly the final pass failing them, it was a night where the ball was put on the right and the attacker went left, and what looked like a real misunderstanding between all.

At the back for the duo of Sidnei and Luisao, it was also to be a case of mistaken partnership and communication. With both going for the same ball and failing to header it on the 16^th minute, Ednic was found at the far post and from the cross, he had a shot, which hit the post  and Sidnei magaged to to just get his head on the ball for a corner.

Benfica were tested and frustrated for a long periods of time and their constant attack meant that the back four was usually left bare.  PSG seemed to find the easy pass in between and over Luisao and Sidnei, with Coentrao usually tracking back from his trips forward.

Benfica went on a better run, going over the bar with shots from Cardozo and Carlos Martins. The equalizer came on the 42^nd minute when Carlos Martins chipped the ball over, Maxi Pereira slipped in behind Armand and placed it over the out coming Edel for the 1-1.

The second half was a similar affair, but Benfica seemed more on top of the game, but still finding it hard to convert the passing football into goals.

Saviola was brought down in the area by Makonda but the official waved it off.

But it was to be 10 minutes from the end, when Aimar played Jara, who opened up his body, and from just inside the D beat Edel to seal a victory.

 

A night that the entire Portuguese entry all came away with a win, and according to my fellow Twitter @PaulSeery, such results mean Portugal will have 3 teams in the European Champions League f9r the 12/13 season.

On another note, Benfica looked a team with a good attacking squad, but the likes of Luisao and Sidnei will need to sort themselves out, with the latter needing to step up on all occasions not the odd one. The forward players in Cardozo and Saviola, although two different players in size and technique, could benefit the squad if only they actually played off each other with a better understanding of their movements.