Response given in the Cathedral!

MATCH HIGHLIGHTS

Benfica returned to the Cathedral and to the warmth of the Benfiquistas, 97 days after their last official match at the Estádio da Luz, with a clear 3-0 win over Casa Pia on matchday 2 of the Liga Betclic 2024/25, played on Saturday night, August 17. The goals were scored by Pavlidis (70'), Tiago Gouveia (80') and Aursnes (90').

Após After the start of the Championship in Famalicão, the Estádio da Luz (where there were 58,926 spectators) was the stage for the red team's response. For this game against the "Geese", coach Roger Schmidt made one change from the previous match: Morato was replaced by António Silva. Thus, the Glorioso's first eleven at home was made up of Trubin (who completed his 50th appearance with an eagle on his chest), Bah, Tomás Araújo, António Silva, Beste, Florentino, Barreiro, João Mário, Aursnes, Prestianni and Pavlidis.

The scoreboard remained stubbornly still at the Cathedral when the players returned to the dressing rooms.

The second half saw Benfica with the same ambition as the first, but with more pace in the decision-making areas. Prestianni, after a combination between Bah and Aursnes, saw Sequeira prevent what looked like a sure goal (52'). In the 56th minute, Pavlidis fell in the Casa Pia penalty area and complained of a foul by Zolotic, but the referee ruled that there had been no infringement. In the 60th minute, the goalscorer came within an inch of celebrating: following a corner taken by Aursnes on the left side of the attack, he headed the ball wide.

In the 65th minute, Roger Schmidt changed the team, replacing Barreiro, Prestianni and João Mário with Kökcü, Marcos Leonardo and Tiago Gouveia, changes that had an almost immediate impact and unlocked the game in the Reds' favor: Carreras combined with Tiago Gouveia on the left and the latter crossed perfectly for Pavlidis. The striker headed the ball into the back of the net for his first goal in official matches for Benfica (1-0 after 70 minutes).

After breaking the deadlock, the Eagles kept their foot on the gas, overcame an episodic scare from Nuno Moreira (73') and, at the rate of a goal every 10 minutes, sealed the win. First, through Tiago Gouveia, who - assisted by Aursnes - scored with a well-placed shot, much to the delight of the Benfica fans in the stands (2-0 after 80 minutes). Then there was Aursnes, who, receiving a vertical and piercing pass from Kökcü, beat the Casa Pia keeper with an excellent finish.

It's also worth noting that captain Otamendi came on in the 85th minute - he was at the 2024 Olympic Games after winning the Copa America for Argentina.

In the next round, matchday 3 of the Liga Betclic, Benfica plays again at Estádio da Luz and will face Estrela da Amadora, in a match scheduled for Saturday, August 24, at 8:30 pm.