A fantastic night’s entertainment in Lisbon tonight saw Benfica maintain their sensational start to the season with victory over Juventus in a seven-goal thriller.
The Portuguese giants bossed the game for 75 minutes and looked on course for a thumping win after racing into a 4-1 lead. A late fightback by the Italians made it a jittery ending but the Eagles held on for a 4-3 victory to book their place in the knockout stage of the Champions League for the second straight season.
Hosts start strong
Benfica started the game exuding the confidence befitting of a team still unbeaten after 19 games in all competitions this season.
João Mário almost slipped Gonçalo Ramos in early doors but Cuadrado made the block, before Mário again made inroads before being blocked by Rabiot and soon afterwards Enzo tried his luck from range.
Rafa twice, Aursnes and Enzo then threatened the Juventus backline and it was no surprise when Benfica took the lead in the 17th minute. A short corner routine saw the ball worked to Enzo Fernández, his pinpoint cross headed into the net by young centre-back António Silva.
The lead did not last long, however, as Juventus were level five minutes later, the goal also coming after a corner. Kean bundled the ball over the line after Vlachodimos had saved from Vlahovic and although it was initially ruled out for offside, VAR overturned the decision and the goal stood.
There was no let-up in the action as Benfica soon restored their lead. The lively Aursnes was involved in the build-up, then forced a handball from Cuadrado in the box, with João Mário making no mistake from the penalty spot.
Audacious Rafa finish
Not content with taking the lead, the Eagles continued to push forward and the home fans did not have to wait long to see the lead extended. Rafa picked up the ball in a central position 40 yards from goal, spread a pass wide right to João Mário then motored into the box, with Mário playing the perfect cross for Rafa to produce an audacious flicked finish with his heel.
In an incredibly open game, there were chances for Kean and Fernández to add to the score before the referee called time on a breathless first half.
Benfica are into the Champions League knockout rounds with a game to go after defeating Juventus 4-3 at Estádio da Luz. Rafa was man of the match, desperately close to hitting a hat-trick. Schmidt's side keep rolling, 20 games unbeaten this season. pic.twitter.com/Y9HXIdc6Yp
— Matthew Marshall (@noobzcorp) October 25, 2022
Benfica did not take their foot of the pedal in the second half, Danilo saving the visitors with a last-ditch challenge on Rafa, but the Benfica No. 27 would not be denied. Grimaldo threaded an inch-perfect ball straight into the heart of the Juventus box, the electric Rafa striding onto it and showing uncharacteristic calm to dink a classy finish over Szczesny.
At this stage it appeared Benfica could make it an embarrassing night for Juve, the visitors’ goal leading a charmed life as Enzo Fernández, Aursnes and Ramos were a whisker away from further extending the lead.
Juventus subs inject new life into Italians
Massimiliano Allegri’s last-ditch attempt to change the course of events involved throwing on two youngsters Samuel Iling-Junior and Matias Soulé, but initially it had little effect.
Some excellent approach play by Grimaldo and Aursnes almost played in Rafa, then the same player just missed out on his hat-trick after a sensational move involving Enzo and João Mário resulted in a cross from the latter that Rafa thumped just over the bar.
Out of nowhere, Juventus pulled a goal back, some smart wing-play by Iling-Junior paving the way for Milik to score. Remarkably, just two minutes later the Italians had scored again, Iling-Junior again causing havoc on the left flank, his cross eventually turned in by McKennie. 79 minutes gone, 4-3, and suddenly the result was in the balance and the home fans were biting their nails.
Standing ovation for Rafa
Rafa missed a chance to put the game to bed when he raced clear from the halfway line, but smashed his shot against the post. That was the last action of the speedster, who was immediately subbed, shaking his head at the missed chance but with the entire crowd loudly expressing their gratitude for an electrifying performance.
Benfica were not home and dry yet, Iling-Junior causing all sorts of panic in the home defence, but Roger Schmidt’s men held on to continue a memorable Champions League group stage campaign – two wins over Juventus and two draws versus PSG are notable results for any team, let alone one outside the so-called “big five” leagues.
by Tom Kundert, at the Estádio da Luz
Goals:
[1-0], António Silva, 17’
[1-1] Kean, 21’
[2-1] João Mário (pen), 28’
[3-1] Rafa, 35’
[4-1] Rafa, 51’
[4-2] Milik, 77’
[4-3] Mckennie, 79’
