Varela is the goalkeeper with the longest unbeaten run in the Liga NOS

At the age of 23, the goalkeeper Bruno Varela is going through his best spell of the season at Benfica, totaling 441 minutes without conceding a goal in the Liga NOS. There are four complete matches (Marítimo, Aves, Feirense and V. Guimarães) and 81’ of the match against Paços de Ferreira. The youngster nurtured at Caixa Futebol Campus did not concede any goal in the month of March.

A starter for the eagles in 23 of the 28 matches played by the team in the Liga NOS, Bruno Varela started the championship as the owner of the reds' goal. He retained in that sport until round 6; he returned in round 12, against V. Setúbal (6-0) and never lost that spot again. He conceded 13 goals (0,57 per match) and played 2070 minutes.

The 441 minutes run without conceding a goal is part of the best spell of Benfica, with eight victories in a row– four of those without conceding goals –, the top spot of the table and the joint best defense of the Liga NOS, alongside FC Porto, with 16 goals conceded. However, apart from Bruno Varela, there is a back-four that has been contributing a lot to this defensive solidity. Benfica seems to want to prove the motto of Phil Jackson, former NBA coach, who said that “the attack wins games, the defense wins championships”.

IN THE TOP 10 LEAGUES, ONLY TWO DO BETTER

If the feat of the team led by Rui Vitória is already impressive, it becomes even more impressive if we expand the analysis to the Top 10 Leagues in Europe. The Official Site browsed the path of all the teams in this top 10 and has inferred that Benfica is, at this moment, the third emblem with the longest run without conceding a goal. Only Shakhtar, coached by the Portuguese Paulo Fonseca, and Schalke boast a better record.

The Ukrainian team, with Pyatov in the goal, tops this “table”, with 541 minutes without conceding a goal. It is followed by the Germans, that have Ralf Fahrmann between the posts, with 462'. Benfica, with Bruno Varela in the goal, rounds off the podium (441'), being chased by the Italians of Inter (391').

Text: Marco Rebelo

Pics: Archive / SL Benfica