Lions beat Benfica to secure Super Cup triumph
In 15 matches against Sporting during Jorge Jesus’s time as Benfica coach, he had won 10, drawn 4 and lost just once.
Now on the other side of the barricade, the charismatic tactician needed no time to start redressing the balance from Sporting’s point of view, as he led the Lions to a thoroughly deserved 1-0 victory over their eternal city rivals to lift the Super Cup in the Algarve Stadium tonight.
Has the tide turned for the green and red halves of Lisbon?
On the evidence of tonight, the answer would appear to be a resounding yes. Sporting continued their pre-season form, looking solid at the back, dynamic in midfield, and threatening in attack. Benfica also continued their pre-season form, with a largely timid showing and very little happening in an attacking sense especially.
Sporting take control
Perhaps reflecting both teams’ differing fortunes in pre-season, Sporting started confidently and immediately took the initiative, while a hesitant Benfica struggled to get a foothold in the match for much of the first half. Sporting had the ball in the net on 25 minutes through Téo Gutiérrez, but it was ruled out for offside, incorrectly as TV replays showed.
Despite being on top, Sporting did not translate their ascendancy into a heap of goal-scoring chances, and Jonas twice came close to giving Benfica the lead with headers in the first half.
Sporting started the second half in even more dominant mood. Gutiérrez headed an excellent chance wide from a peach of a Jefferson cross, but on 53 minutes the breakthrough came. A speedy exchange of passes saw Carrillo open up space at the top of the box, and his low shot deflected off Gutiérrez’s heel to wrong-foot Júlio César and roll into the net.
The goal triggered an explosion of joy among the Sporting fans, which never truly looked like being quelled by Benfica. The Eagles initially reacted well to the setback, at last putting some sustained pressure on Sporting, and Jonas had the ball in the net in the 79th minute, but the whistle had already gone for offside.
Sporting held on relatively comfortably and when the final whistle was blown an enormous roar was transported directly from the Alvalade to this normally deserted zone of inland Algarve.
Jesus delight
“We were excellent defensively and tactically. We were the better side throughout the 90 minutes, scoring two goals with one wrongly ruled out for offside,” said Jorge Jesus post-match. “I’m very happy with how this team is playing after just 5 weeks of work [with me]. I saw immediately that Sporting have intelligent players. We were a little worried before this game because of our lack of experience – Benfica have played 12 finals in the last 6 years – but the players’ response was excellent.”
Asked about the secret of his success in Lisbon derbies, as is his wont, JJ did not leave the laurels for anyone else. “I managed to transmit a winning mind-set to Sporting’s players,” before announcing that his new team will be in the mix for more silverware this season. “In Portugal lately the trophies have been between Benfica and Porto, but from now on it will be a three-way fight.”
At the risk of reading too much into results before the Liga NOS has even kicked off, Sporting do indeed have the makings of an exciting team. Naldo and Paulo Oliveira were rock solid at the back, Adrien was at his dynamic best at the base of the midfield, Carrillo, Bryan Ruiz and Téo Gutiérrez combined swiftly and incisively up front, Slimani was bristling with tireless aggression throughout, and yet all were outshined by the smooth elegance of the outstanding João Mário.
Cohesion
What was most impressive about Sporting was the cohesive nature of the team’s play, despite so many newcomers. Throw William Carvalho into the mix – if he is not sold this summer – and the Lions have the makings of a formidable team.
Benfica, on the other hand, have much work to do. “I believe over time we will naturally improve as the team gets to understand my ideas,” said coach Rui Vitória after the match. “This is the start of our journey. What’s important is how it ends. We’ll be working hard and I’m sure we’ll have success.”
The new Benfica coach kept a commendable level of composure throughout, refusing to be drawn into a war of words as he was repeatedly asked for a reaction to Jorge Jesus’s less than complimentary comments prior to the game.
But the former Vitória Guimarães manager faces a race against time. He will start the season under pressure after a poor set of summer results, defeat in the Super Cup and the meek nature of tonight’s performance.
Solid basis
The excellent individual displays of Samaris and centre-back pairing Jardel and Lisandro Lopez, in front of the dependable Júlio César is a good base to build on, but Benfica look short up front and lacking any degree of creativity, bar the occasional raid from Gaitán, whose days may be numbered at the Estádio da Luz.
Talisca is a shadow of the player he was in the opening months of last season, Ola John remains capable of moments of brilliance but consistently has brain meltdowns when it comes to decision-making, and while Pizzi and Fejsa are solid performers they do nothing to address the glaring absence of creativity that left Jonas isolated up top for most of the night.
Worrying times for two-time champions Benfica.
By Tom Kundert, at the Estádio Algarve
Benfica: Júlio César, Nélson Semedo, Lisandro Lopez, Jardel, Sílvio, Fejsa, Samaris (Mitroglou, 71’), Talisca (Pizzi, 57’), Gaitán, Ola John (Gonçalo Guedes, 80’), Jonas
Sporting: Rui Patrício, João Pereira, Paulo Oliveira, Naldo, Jefferson, Adrien, João Mário, Carrillo (Gelson Martins, 92’), Bryan Ruiz (Rúben Semedo, 85’), Téo Gutiérrez (Carlos Mané, 69’), Slimani
Goals:
[0-1] Carrillo, 53’
