In a firm first step towards the quarter-finals, Benfica beat Club Brugge in the Champions League (0-2) first leg of the round of 16.
Wednesday 15 February, 21:00 CET
Venue: Jan Breydel Stadium
Referee: Davide Massa
Benfica beat Club Brugge 2-0 and qualified for the round of 16 of the Champions League. The Belgian team will now need a magical night in Portugal next month to finish in the quarter-finals.
Scott Parker’s men were in their first Champions League knockout game and indeed their inexperience was evident as the Premier League leaders emerged as convincing winners despite a spirited start from the hosts.
Benfica had numerous chances before João Mário converted a penalty in the 50th minute to give the visitors a deserved lead – the midfielder’s fifth goal of the Champions League campaign this season.
The game was level with Brugge chasing an equaliser, and Belgium’s tremendous effort was visible when a mistake by Bjorn Meijer allowed David Neres to go through and double Benfica’s lead in the final draw.
Despite the final score, Brugge started the game differently from a team that sits fourth in the Belgian Pro League, with the pace of Noa Lang and Tajon Buchanan giving Benfica plenty to think about in the early stages.
Dutchman Lang slipped behind the Benfica defense early on but failed to convert from a tight angle past Odisseas Vlachodimos.
Benfica began to impose their dominance towards the end of the first half and had countless opportunities to break through, with the dangerous Rafa Silva shooting off the outside of the post after a clever set-piece.
Youngster Antonio Silva also had a great opportunity to put the visitors ahead, although the 19-year-old was unable to contain his header after defender Nicolas Otamendi kept the ball alive from a corner.
Despite the increasing pressure from Benfica in the home defence, it was Brugge who thought they had opened the scoring just before half-time, but former Fulham player Denis Odoi came out of an offside position when he saw the teammate Brandon Mechele’s header into the net.
Roger Schmidt’s side continued their impressive game after the break, with some clean exchanges between Mario and Rafa Silva leading to a cross that led to Jack Hendry fouling Gonçalo Ramos in the box as they both ran for the ball.
The aforementioned Mario stepped forward and took a penalty against Simon Mignolet, but the 34-year-old could only deflect it with a powerful shot under the crossbar and into the net.
Substitute Neres bolstered Benfica’s position in the tie with a cool finish past Mignolet in the closing stages, although the build-up to the Brazilian’s one-on-one chance was entirely avoidable as Meijer’s hesitation gave the 25-year-old a clear goal advantage .
Club Brugge have plenty to do in Lisbon next month to finish in the round of 16, but must now focus on their stalled Pro-League campaign and the upcoming derby at Cercle Brugge on Sunday.
Benfica have three Primeira Liga fixtures ahead of the second leg against Brugge, with the first of those home fixtures to be played at home to Boavista on Monday night.
Lineups:
Simon Mignolet – Clinton Mata, Jack Hendry, Brandon Mechele, Bjorn Meijer – Denis Odoi (65’ Casper Nielsen), Raphael Onyedika, Hans Vanaken – Kamal Sowah (79’ Ferran Jutglà), Noa Lang, Tajon Buchanan
Substitutes: Josef Bursik, Mats Rits, Dedryck Boyata, Antonio Nusa, Roman Yaremchuk, Abakar Sylla and Cisse Sandra
SL Benfica:
Odisseas Vlachodimos – Alexander Bah, Antonio Silva, Nicolas Otamendi, Alejandro Grimaldo – Joao Mario (92’ Joao Neves), Chiquinho, Rafa Silva (65’ David Neres), Florentino Luis, Fredrik Aursnes – Gonçalo Ramos (65’ Gonçalo Guedes)
Substitutes: Lucas Veríssimo, C. Tengstedt, J. Draxler, Gilberto, P. Musa, André Gomes, Samuel Soares, A. Schjelderup, Morat
Scorers:
51’ Joao Mario (penalty)
88’ Neres
Yellow Cards:
Odoi
Sowah
Otamendi