Benfica made it four wins on the bounce with a 2-1 victory over Estoril Praia at the Estádio da Luz tonight.
Much of the talk pre-match was whether new signing João Palhinha would feature, and the defensive midfielder entered the fray earlier than expected when Enzo Barrenechea was forced off injured in the 31st minute.
Given a rousing reception by the near capacity crowd of over 60,000, Palhinha soon endeared himself to the Benfica faithful with a trademark sliding tackle on the run to halt a dangerous André Lacximicant run, followed by a clenched-fist celebration.
One-way traffic
That was a rare Estoril attack as Benfica dominated the possession (66%-34%), shots (25-4) and corners (9-0) stats.
The hosts took the lead five minutes before the break when Pavlidis turned smartly in the box and shot low into the corner of the net. We are still in August and it was the Greek striker’s 11th goal of the season!
Clément Lenglet doubled Benfica’s lead shortly after half time with a thunderbolt of a shot from 30 yards out.
Another superb finish, this time by Estoril striker Begraoui in the 82nd minute, made it a nervy last few minutes for the home supporters but Benfica saw out the remainder of the match without undue alarm.
Testing schedule
Marco Silva’s team are enjoying an impressive run of form but they will be put to the test in the coming weeks with tough away trips to Marítimo, Moreirense, Milan and Porto in September.
