Tango and samba come together for a new winning dance

MATCH HIGHLIGHTS

In the start of the second half Liga Betclic 2023/24, Benfica increased their winning streak in all competitions to eight after beating Boavista 2-0 on matchday 18 in a match played on Friday, January 19 at the Estádio da Luz. Di María and Marcos Leonardo scored the goals. 

The 54,345 spectators in the stands were the ideal beacon for the Reds to achieve their 8th consecutive win and 17th unbeaten game in the Liga Betclic.

For the game against Boavista, Roger Schmidt made just one change to the starting eleven compared to the game against Rio Ave, launching Florentino in place of João Neves, who remained on the bench.

As a result, the eleven selected by the Benfica coach was made up of: Trubin, Aursnes, António Silva, Otamendi, Morato, Florentino, Kökcü, Di María, João Mário, Rafa and Arthur Cabral.

Benfica had the upper hand and didn't let Boavista breathe. With constant exchanges of the ball and variations of play, making the Boavista players wear themselves out by running from one side to the other, the Reds tried to find gaps in the opposition's defensive organization.

Half-time arrived with a "misleading" 0-0 scoreline, as Benfica had been far superior to Boavista, as shown by the numbers: 12 shots (1 for the axadrezados), 54% possession and nine corners (1 for the boavisteiros).

In the 54th minute, Boavista had their only chance of the match. On a counter-attack, Bozeník appeared in front of Trubin, but the goalkeeper stood up to the Polish striker and denied him.

With Estádio da Luz buzzing, Benfica's goal came! On the right side, Di María's venomous cross-shot, the ball passed Arthur Cabral and João Mário and ended up... in the back of the net (1-0, 61').

In his 150th game with the eagle on his chest, the Argentinian international broke the deadlock. Also noteworthy was Kökcü's good pass, which, after going several meters with the ball, found the No. 11 alone on the right side of the Reds' attack.

Seven minutes later (70') the teams began to change, with Roger Schmidt bringing on Tomás Araújo (for Florentino) and Marcos Leonardo (for Arthur Cabral).

In total control of the game, Benfica settled into Boavista's half and twice in the space of two minutes came very close to going 2-0 up.

First, a powerful shot from Kökcü, unconventionally but effectively saved by João Gonçalves for a corner (84'). Following this, Di María hit a direct free-kick and only a great save by the Boavista goalkeeper prevented the goal (85').

In the same minute, there was another change for the Eagles, with João Neves (50th appearance for the first team) coming on for Kökcü.

With six more minutes to play, Marcos Leonardo took advantage of the 90'+4' mark to score his second goal for the eagles. The Argentine Otamendi launched a long ball into the empty space of the Boavista defense, where his compatriot Di María appeared and, with just a touch of class, served the Brazilian player. With nothing but happiness in front of him, the striker didn't waste it and pushed the ball into the back of the net (2-0). Tango and samba in the same goal. Beautiful!

If the atmosphere was already hot, it got hotter with this goal, and it was at that moment that Roger Schmidt brought David Neres back into the competition: he came on for Rafa. At the same time, Di María - considered Man of the Match - gave way to Musa (90'+5').

Shortly afterward, the referee blew the final whistle, confirming Benfica's 8th win in a row, and they won't have long to rest from this intense match: on Wednesday, January 24, at 7:45 pm, they face Estoril in the semi-final of the League Cup, at the Estádio Municipal de Leiria.