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Benfica v Gil Vicente Portuguese League Cup final: Jorge Jesus with little to gain and much to lose
Paulo Alves’ side have acquitted themselves admirably to life back in the top flight this season, gaining wins over FC Porto, Sporting and Braga. And although their two league games against Benfica yielded a draw and a defeat, the modest team from the northern town of Barcelos pushed the Eagles all the way on both occasions. Gil’s refusal to adopt an overly defensive attitude when facing the bigger teams have won the club many friends. Alves is not just playing lip service when he says, “we’ll be doing everything to win, so I expect a good game and a festival of football.”
Furthermore, in pacey and skilful Portuguese centre-forward Hugo Vieira, Gil have a player who is surely destined for bigger things and who can cause any defence trouble.
Benfica fans go from being proud to completely irate in a matter of days
Just six days ago, hundreds of Benfica fans gathered at the Portela Airport to applaud their hero’s after an outstanding performance at Stamford Bridge. Although Benfica left London with a 2-1 defeat at the hands of Chelsea and the subsequent elimination from Champions League play, Benfica fans were proud of their team.
In a match where Benfica coach Jorge Jesus had to put together a makeshift backline to replace his four injured center backs, his squad outplayed their opposition. As the players and directors arrived in Lisbon around 4am on Thursday morning, they were greeted by hundreds of happy and proud fans for their heroic performance in a match where the Italian match official had a slight influence.
Champions League rejects Benfica in bounce back mission against rivals Sporting
For decades these two Lisbon rivals have been battling it out, and this match will be no different. Although the match does not have title implications for Sporting, the ‘Leoes’ will not want to lose at home, especially to their neighbors.
How will an inconsistent Sporting do against a Benfica squad that is looking to beat out Braga and Porto for the title?
Sporting Lisbon vs Benfica and the impact of coach Sa Pinto
Since the arrival of Sa Pinto on the sidelines for Sporting, they appear to have found there form somewhat. While doing extremely well in the Europa League, they still appear to be periodically inconsistent domestically.
Chelsea and Madrid poised to join lucky Barca and slick Bayern in semis
In Spain, the referee’s performance robbed the headlines. Lionel Messi scored a brace from the spot and Andres Iniesta added a third to kill off Milan’s hopes. Barcelona dominated the contest from start to finish as the Italians defended nervously.
They got trapped in the box after only 11 minutes of play. Messi was apparently too energetic for Luca Antonini to control. The referee did not hesitate and pointed right to the spot and La Pulga made no mistake sending Barcelona in front. The Rossoneri went level inside the 32nd minute of the match through Nocerino.
Chelsea vs. Benfica: Can Oscar Cardozo kill two birds with one stone?
When Benfica president Luis Felipe Vieira splashed out just shy of 10 million euros for the beanpole marksman in the summer of 2007, he confidently announced “Benfica have bought a striker to guarantee twenty goals a season.” Cardozo has proven as good as Vieira’s word, finding the net on a staggeringly consistent basis. He has scored 127 times in 204 matches in all competitions for Benfica.
So it follows that Cardozo is an idol of the Estádio da Luz, right? Wrong. Cardozo is far from the darling of the Benfica faithful, even attracting boos from sections of the crowd on a mystifyingly regular basis.
Champions League: Late shows see Real Madrid and Chelsea beat APOEL and Benfica
There was no upset on Tuesday night. In Cyprus, APOEL suffered a cruel defeat. It all looked difficult for the hosts right from the start. Statistics spoke for themselves. Negative-minded APOEL completed only 94 passes within the first 60 minutes of the match while Los Blancos had 416 to their credit.
Finally, the Spanish giants turned their mesmerizing possessive and passing game into goals. Kaka and Karim Benzema were the star men.
The Brazilian midfielder fed Frenchman Benzema with a sublime cross. The striker didn’t miss his header as Real Madrid broke the deadlock with 16 minutes left on the clock.
Will Chelsea’s Portuguese connections stand them in good stead in Lisbon?
Chelsea’s transition from wannabes to the real deal can be traced back to a moment of inspiration by Roman Abrmovich in a field where he has struggled ever since: appointing the right manager. A rising star of the managerial circuit, José Mourinho, marched into Stamford Bridge and quickly brought glory to the Blues. He also opened the doors to a steady stream of compatriots on the playing field. Ricardo Carvalho, Paulo Ferreira, Tiago, José Bosingwa and Raúl Meireles are just the most well known of a mini Lusophone invasion into the club.
Mourinho left but the quick and largely successful adaptation of players from the Liga ZON Sagres to the Premier League was not forgotten. Defender David Luiz and midfielder Ramires were bought, both integral parts of the barnstorming Benfica side of 2009/10 that won the Portuguese championship in such swashbuckling style.
Milan vs Barcelona & Benfica vs Chelsea light up midweek Champions League action
On March 27, the Eagles of Benfica will welcome the Blues of Chelsea in what could turn into a close affair. Whereas Real Madrid will be trying to sort things out away to underdogs Cyprus, Roberto di Matteo will try to get a positive result at the Estadio da Luz.
The manner in which Chelsea qualified into the quarter-finals of this season’s Champions League is simply outstanding. Few are those who gave the Blues a chance to turn the tables around following their suicidal 3-1 defeat away to Napoli. Against all the odds, however, the Blues came back to life in a game that looked more like a heroic and happy-ending scripted story.
Can Sporting Braga take advantage of Benfica’s slip?
Mar 26, 2012 - 4:15pm Sporting Braga vs Academica de Coimbra
It’s been four months since they have lost or drawn a match for the Portuguese Liga Zon/Sagres. They’ve been defeated in Estádio do Dragão home to FC Porto. Until a week ago, only Real Madrid matched this amazing record of eleven wins in a row.
This Monday March 26, SC Braga meets Académica de Coimbra at Estádio Axa, also called “the quarry”. It’s always a hard task to play Académica. However, if they manage to beat the "Students" next Monday, they will take over second place in the league. In those conditions, they’ll meet Benfica with a two point advantage next week.
Taça da Liga finalists Benfica to put pressure on Porto with win at Olhanense?
With a busy schedule in the next few weeks, playing 6 matches in only 20 days, Benfica face another challenge travelling to Olhão in the south of Portugal. Algarve is a lucky region for the Eagles who have encountered happy moments there.Last Tuesday, in the Portuguese League Cup semi-final, Benfica had a sweet taste of revenge after a tough 3-2 win over FC Porto saw them reach the final for the fourth time in a row in five editions of this recent Portuguese competition.
Second-placed Benfica will have only 72 hours to rest from the classic match against the Dragons. They will meet seventh-placed Olhanense on Friday trying not to show any sign of fatigue.
Benfica vs Porto: Eagles or Dragons – who will reach the 2012 Taça da Liga final?
Advantage Benfica?
The Eagles of Benfica are grabbing all the attention at the continental level based on their achievements in the UEFA Champions League. They are now among Europe’s best eight teams – a record Porto don’t have this year.
The Dragons waved goodbye to European football long ago this season. Suddenly, they can only appropriate themselves with domestic success while Benfica remain hot on their heels.
Only one point puts FC Porto above the Eagles in the and Tuesday night’s Taça da Liga battle will definitely have an impact on each team’s title aspirations on all fronts.
2011/12 Champions League & Europa League quarter-finals draw: Full fixtures
Football fans are anxiously waiting for the calendar to hit March 27. This is when the first leg of the first two UEFA Champions League quarter-finals matches will take place. In Cyprus, underdogs APOEL will host pre-tournament favourites Real Madrid.
Simultaneously, Benfica and Chelsea will lock horns in Portugal. The Blues will be confident of progressing into the semis following their miraculous comeback in the Round of 16 against Napoli. Likewise, Benfica will be fired up to go further in the Champions League as the only Portuguese team remaining.
2011/12 Champions League: Milan-Barca & Benfica-Chelsea highlight Last 8 draw
Real Madrid will tackle APOEL Nicosia. This is perhaps a kind draw for Los Blancos who are unbeatable on home soil. However, the two-legged tie might not be a one-sided affair knowing that APOEL are powerful underdogs. If they’ve reached the quarter-final stage of the UEFA Champions League, it is because they got the best out of big oppositions such as FC Porto and Olympique Lyonnais.
In another mouth-watering quarter-final clash, Benfica and Chelsea will sort things out. The Blues made a terrific comeback in the Last 16. Against all the odds, they overcame their 3-1 deficit over Napoli to survive in the 2011/12 UEFA Champions League.
2012-The Year of the Underdog in the Champions League?
Five of the eight participants in the quarter-finals are names found almost every year: AC Milan, Chelsea, Real Madrid, Barcelona and last but not the least FC Bayern Munich. The other three contestants are less familiar ones and in the case of one, almost unfamiliar: Benfica, Marseille and Cypriots Apoel. Large wins were recorded in this season’s competition: underdogs Basel and Bayer Leverkusen were swept aside by Bayern and Barcelona respectively in the second legs. Basel, however, almost caused a shock too. They won the first leg against Bayern, 1-0 in Switzerland, a score-line which many experts and coaches would say is perfect at home.
From despair to delight - a week in the life of Benfica fans
The 3-2 defeat in the clássico to bitter rivals FC Porto last week seemed almost a mortal blow to the club’s championship chances at the time. Porto went three points clear, and with the head-to-head advantage, the reigning champions were effectively four points ahead of their rivals from the capital. It was Benfica’s 3rd defeat in four winless matches, and their season seemed to be taking an identical pattern to the 2010/11 campaign. After an exhilarating run of form and results, the wheels were coming off at just the wrong time. A 5-point lead at the top of the table had been transformed into a 3-point deficit, and some were even suggesting the real battle for Benfica was to hold off Braga in the fight for the runners-up spot and guaranteed Champions League football next season.
Barcelona poised to join Milan and Benfica in Champions League quarter-finals
Bayer Leverkusen can almost forget about pulling an upset. How many teams manage to defeat Barcelona at the Camp Nou? On Wednesday, Bayer’s task to qualify will require a victory, and an emphatic one. Barcelona’s players are expected to respond to Pep Guardiola’s call for focus so Bayer might have very little room to stun the hosts. Coach Robert Dutt is fully aware of his team’s deadly situation.
“There are lots of things that worry me about facing Barcelona. I have watched hundreds of Barcelona games and they always have very high ball possession,” the Bayer man declared at the pre-match press conference.
Why Zenit encounter could be the defining moment of the Jorge Jesus Benfica era
However, the home defeat by FC Porto in Friday’s clássico gave the Lisbon club’s bitter rivals from the north a three-point advantage as the title race goes into the home straight. Should the Dragons remain top until the end of the season, and barring an unlikely triumph in the Champions League, the only silverware of note Benfica would have won in Jesus’ tenure would have been the 2009/10 championship.
With presidential elections around the corner, that trophy haul may well prove too little for Benfica’s demanding public and dictate the departure of the 57 year old.
But the season is not over yet. Jesus needs one of two things to happen to save his job.
Benfica optimistic about reaching Champions League Last 8 ahead of Zenit
Despite encountering defeat in the first leg of this UEFA Champions League Last 16 tie, Benfica somewhat have the upper hand going into Tuesday night’s clash. The Eagles managed to score two important goals in Russia. It should be noted that their narrow 3-2 loss happened in difficult conditions. Zenit’s turf is bad and weather conditions were freezing. “I think it was -14, -17, so it wasn't easy. However, we still threatened and scored two goals so the second leg is going to be completely different,” defender Luisao remarked ahead of the second leg according to UEFA.com.
Benfica vs FC Porto Report
Seven minutes were on the clock and the lead rewarded Porto's early dominance.
But Benfica gradually came back and began exerting heavy pressure. Cardozo and Aimar missed good opportunities, before the Paraguayan striker took advantage of a loose ball in the box to hammer in the equaliser for Benfica just before half time.
The vast majority of huge crowd at the Estádio da Luz exploded in delight two minutes after the break as Cardozo headed in Aimar's precise free kick to give Benfica the lead.
Jorge Jesus feels referees deliberately robbed Benfica in 3-2 Porto loss
Oscar Cardozo scored for the Eagles late in the first half and early in the second period to cancel out Hulk’s opener but James Rodriguez brought Porto on equal terms in the 64th minute. Benfica’s Emerson saw red in the 77th minute for fouling key man Hulk from behind. Ten minutes later, Maicon finished off a James Rodriguez free-kick with a header from an offside position. With this hard-fought victory, FC Porto moved 3 points clear off their bitter rivals at the displeasure of Jorge Jesus.
“Benfica did not deserve to lose. It was an excellent game, with two great teams, but it was a shame that Benfica lost it, we did nothing to deserve this,” Jesus told the press in the aftermath of the encounter.