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Benfica edge seven-goal thriller

Pacos de Ferreira 3-4 Benfica

Benfica registered their first win of the season as they edged past Pacos de Ferreira 4-3 at the Mata Real in a goal crazed encounter to close out the third round of the Liga Sagres.

The match was not for the weak of heart as Benfica coughed up two-goal leads on two separate occasions as Nuno Gomes, Maxi Pereira and Cardozo found the back of the net for Benfica in the first half, with Ozeia replying for the home side before the break. Rui Miguel and William made it close for the Pacense in the second-half, but Jorge Ribeiro’s goal proved to be the game winner before time ran out.

Benfica presented a make-shift defence as Katsouranis and Luisao were both out of the line-up due to suspensions, while David Luiz had still not recovered from his toe injury. Quique Flores had no choice but to suit up the 19-year-old duo of Sidnei and Miguel Vitor.

Perhaps it was a sign of things to come, but before fans who attended the game had time to find their seats, Benfica were on the scoreboard in the 6th minute as the unmarked Nuno Gomes volleyed in a Jose Antonio Reyes cross to give the guests the early lead. The advantage was short-lived as Pacos found themselves level seven minutes later as Reyes failed to clear the ball from his area, allowing it to roll straight to Ozeia. The defender released a shot that deflected off Sidnei and into the net to square things up.

Sloppy play

A sloppy game ensued with both teams failing to string two passes together before the ball got picked off by the opposition. Benfica managed to get their passing right in the 30th minute as Nuno Gomes headed a Ruben Amorim cross and Conceicao failed to deal with the striker’s effort properly. Maxi Pereira flew in from the right side and blasted the loose ball past the goalkeeper to give the visitors the lead again.

The Eagles would add to their advantage just before the break as they were awarded a penalty for Tiago Valente’s handball infraction. Oscar Cardozo stepped up to the dot and blew the ball past Conceicao to make it 1-3. Benfica almost snuck in another goal, but Chico Silva did well to clear a Sidnei effort off the goal line.

The match did not let up in the second half as both teams were testing the other’s resolve to see who would crack first. Pacos’ persistence paid off in the 63rd as the home side cut the deficit when Quim supplied another gem as the Portuguese international allowed the ball to slip from his grasp leaving Rui Miguel to knock the ball into the empty net.

Rocket shot

Benfica would roar back as Carlos Martins missed by the smallest of margins in the 69th minute, but Jorge Ribeiro would provide the insurance goal fourteen minutes from time. On his Benfica debut, the summer signing combined with Aimar in a pretty one-two, controlled the ball with his chest, brought it down and saw his cannonball of a shot go in off the post to restore Benfica’s two-goal advantage.

But the lead would be reduced again by the very determined hosts. William re-inserted the tension for the final few minutes when Balboa failed to clear the ball from a corner kick. Pacos, who had all the momentum on their side at this point, almost drew level on two more occasions in added time as Ozeia and Tatu were left with the sensation of what might have been as they could not convert their chances before the final whistle.

Benfica will be happy with the fact that they got the victory, but not the means in which they achieved it. The Eagles have failed to keep a clean sheet thus far and will look to tighten up their defence before they host Sporting in the Lisbon derby next weekend. As for Pacos, the team gave it all they had and almost earned a well-deserved point, but will have to take the positives with them as they re-group before travelling to visit FC Porto.

Pacos de Ferreira:
Conceicao, Ricardo, Tiago Valente (Rui Miguel, 46), Ozeia, Chico Silva, Filipe Anunciacao (Cristiano, 69), Paulo Sousa, Pedrinha, Edson (Filipe Goncalves, 80), William, Tatu
Yellow Cards: Tiago Valente (42), Filipe Anunciacao (54), Rui Miguel (62)

Benfica:
Quim, Maxi Pereira, Sidnei, Miguel Vitor, Jorge Ribeiro, Ruben Amorim (Balboa, 77), Carlos Martins, Yebda, Reyes (Di Maria, 89), Nuno Gomes (Aimar, 68), Cardozo
Yellow Cards: Maxi Pereira (27), Nuno Gomes (57), Quim (90)

Goals:
[0-1] Nuno Gomes, 6
[1-1] Ozeia, 13
[1-2] Maxi Pereira, 30
[1-3] Cardozo (pen), 43
[2-3] Rui Miguel, 63
[2-4] Jorge Ribeiro, 76
[3-4] William, 85