· 2 min readIn this Porto vs Benfica match, I analyse the key tactical moments, individual performances and turning points of the game.
The biggest game in Portuguese football brought together two teams that had both started the league really well. Porto had six wins from six, while Benfica had won five and drawn one. At a Dragão that is always a difficult place to play, it was impossible to pick a clear favourite. Benfica also had Pavlidis, the league’s top scorer, and Prestianni, who I consider the best player in the league so far. Everything was there for a great clásico.
And the start lived up to the expectations. The tempo was extremely high and Benfica started better, although there was not a huge difference between the two sides. In the 13th minute, Prestianni got in behind Alberto Costa and headed a very difficult cross, but could not keep it on target.
Shortly after, Bah found some space and shot towards the corner, but Rosário came across with a huge header to clear the danger. Porto were struggling to control the space between the lines, especially because they were dropping into a back five and Rosário, who was supposed to keep an eye on Sudakov, was joining the centre-backs.
Porto gradually grew into the game and eventually found the breakthrough in the 31st minute. An outrageous pass found Gabri Veiga in behind the defence. The midfielder’s first touch was a bit awkward, Samuel Soares hesitated coming off his line and, by the time he finally decided to go, it was already too late. Veiga finished to make it 1-0. A moment of hesitation from the goalkeeper ended up costing Benfica dearly.
Four minutes later, everything changed again. Lenglet, already on a yellow card, made an unnecessary challenge on André Silva and was sent off. Benfica were down to ten men and, within a few minutes, had conceded a goal and lost a player.
Farioli then took Gabri Veiga off, apparently because of the yellow card, although there were later reports that he was feeling some discomfort. If it was purely because of the booking, it would have been a very difficult decision to understand.
Even with ten men, Benfica did not disappear. William Gomes had a huge chance before half-time, but Samuel Soares made a great save. The game was still far from over.
And Benfica came right back into it. In the 52nd minute, Prestianni showed his quality again, working his way down the right before finding Bah attacking the space between the defenders. The full-back got in front of Diogo Costa and headed home to make it 1-1. An equaliser with ten men and a great show of character from Benfica.
But it lasted just three minutes. Rosário found André Silva between the lines. The striker tried to get a shot away, took a poor touch and ended up giving the ball to Froholdt, who made no mistake. 2-1. It was a particularly costly mistake because Pavlidis allowed Rosário to receive with space and, by the time he tried to react, it was already too late.
In the 60th minute, the third arrived. André Silva did a great job as a pivot, reached the byline and put in a low cross for Hwang, who got in front of his man and finished. Samuel Soares seemed to get a touch on it, but the shot was practically straight at him. Maybe a top-level goalkeeper saves that one.
André Silva had a very good game, clearly his best since returning to Porto. The difference compared to his previous performances is huge. He came off in the 85th minute, exactly when Samu returned after more than six months out.
In the final stages, Benfica had more possession, but it was completely sterile. Porto kept the back five even with the numerical advantage, controlled the game and waited for Benfica to run out of energy. By the 87th minute, the Porto fans were already shouting “Olé” as their team passed the ball around.
Post-match
Porto won 3-1 in an intense clássico, decided mainly by Lenglet’s red card, but also by a Porto side that knew exactly how to punish every mistake from their opponents.
