Should Benfica win at Paços de Ferreira on Sunday it will represent a complete turnaround in just nine days in the psychological wellbeing of their fans, and no doubt their playing and coaching staff as well.
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.
That was the backdrop as Benfica hosted Zenit Saint Petersburg on Tuesday, hoping to turn around a 2-3 first-leg deficit.
They did so. A confident and mature display gave the Eagles a 2-0 victory over the Russians and saw Portugal’s biggest club make the quarter-finals of the greatest club competition in the world for only the second time in the last two decades. With some theoretically “accessible” teams remaining in the competition, suddenly Benfica fans are daring to dream of more Champions League joy.
Would making the last eight of the Champions League lead to a considerable rise in morale and get Benfica up and running again? Most likely yes. However, arguably even more encouraging news, given its completely unexpected nature, would arrive on Saturday night.
Porto’s 1-1 draw at home to Académica all of a sudden means the Dragons’ hold of first place looks distinctly fragile. Not only because yet another Braga victory has whittled their lead down to one point, but because Porto’s performance was so lacking in any form of cohesiveness that one cannot help but feel they will drop more points before the season is up.
A Benfica victory at Paços tomorrow will see the Eagles draw level with Braga and move into a position where one more slip-up by Porto could open the door for Benfica to rise to the summit again.
With Porto still to travel to Braga, and Braga to travel to Benfica, and Sporting to play all three title contenders, Benfica coach Jorge Jesus is probably right when he says: “All the title contenders will drop points before the end of the season.”
In what is turning out to be one of the most enthralling Liga ZON Sagres title races in years, the roller-coaster of emotions for Benfica, Braga and Porto fans is unlikely to end until mid May.
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.
That was the backdrop as Benfica hosted Zenit Saint Petersburg on Tuesday, hoping to turn around a 2-3 first-leg deficit.
They did so. A confident and mature display gave the Eagles a 2-0 victory over the Russians and saw Portugal’s biggest club make the quarter-finals of the greatest club competition in the world for only the second time in the last two decades. With some theoretically “accessible” teams remaining in the competition, suddenly Benfica fans are daring to dream of more Champions League joy.
Would making the last eight of the Champions League lead to a considerable rise in morale and get Benfica up and running again? Most likely yes. However, arguably even more encouraging news, given its completely unexpected nature, would arrive on Saturday night.
Porto’s 1-1 draw at home to Académica all of a sudden means the Dragons’ hold of first place looks distinctly fragile. Not only because yet another Braga victory has whittled their lead down to one point, but because Porto’s performance was so lacking in any form of cohesiveness that one cannot help but feel they will drop more points before the season is up.
A Benfica victory at Paços tomorrow will see the Eagles draw level with Braga and move into a position where one more slip-up by Porto could open the door for Benfica to rise to the summit again.
With Porto still to travel to Braga, and Braga to travel to Benfica, and Sporting to play all three title contenders, Benfica coach Jorge Jesus is probably right when he says: “All the title contenders will drop points before the end of the season.”
In what is turning out to be one of the most enthralling Liga ZON Sagres title races in years, the roller-coaster of emotions for Benfica, Braga and Porto fans is unlikely to end until mid May.
