Benfica secured a dramatic 1-0 win in Estoril to claim top spot in the Primeira Liga.
The Eagles edged a tight first half but were fortunate not to concede after the restart when Heriberto Tavares hit the post.
Roger Schmidt’s side turned up the heat in the closing stages at Estádio António Coimbra da Mota and scored the decisive goal in added time.
Petar Musa headed a corner to António Silva, the 19-year-old in perfect position to score before making a crucial goal line clearance with the final kick of the game.
End to end game
João Mário was getting plenty of ball early on but Estoril were doing well to keep Benfica away from their 18-yard box.
Rafik Guitane and Rodrigo Gomes were looking most likely to do some damage for the hosts, Guitane diverting Tiago Araújo’s cross to Gomes who saw his shot blocked by David Neres.
The Eagles eventually applied some pressure and went close in the 24th minute. Chiquinho sent Casper Tengstedt through on goal, the striker taking the ball too close to the byline where he dragged his effort past the post.
Guitane went on a trademark long run forward which resulted in Heriberto Tavares sending a dangerous cross into the box, the Canaries continually lacking quality in the final third.
David Neres came to life with a shot over the bar and a curling effort that forced a save from Marcelo Carné, David Jurásek blazing high and wide on the follow up.
Koba Koindredi took up the Guitane role after robbing Chiquinho, the young midfielder racing clear but unable to find a teammate which was becoming a familiar tale.
The first half ended with two chances for Tengstedt, the Dane firing into the side netting and missing the target after being released by Rafa.
Estoril on fire
Estoril had an electric start to the second half with Volnei’s free kick fired straight at Anatoliy Trubin, Araújo’s low drive sailing wide and Gomes unable to find the target.
They went desperately close in the 54th minute when Guitane released Gomes, his cross picking out Tavares who saw his shot cannon off the post with Trubin beaten.
Vasco Seabra made a change up front with Cassiano making way for Alejandro Marqués.
Benfica fight back
Benfica fought back into the contest with Marcelo Carné saving Nicolás Otamendi’s shot, the goalkeeper doing well to spring back to his feet and smother João Mário’s follow up effort.
The Eagles were they awarded a penalty after a harmless ball into the box saw Chiquinho go down. Referee André Narciso overturned his decision after a VAR intervention, watching replays and judging Koindredi to have got to the ball first.
Guitane capitalised on another turnover from Chiquinho but couldn’t generate enough power to trouble Trubin.
Seabra went to his bench again in the 68th minute when he introduced João Marques for Tavares. Roger Schmidt immediately brought on João Neves and Petar Musa for Florentino and Tengstedt.
Marques smashed a shot over the bar before Juan Bernat replaced David Jurásek in the 77th minute. The changes kept coming as Seabra introduced Ivan Pavlic and Rodrigo Martins for Mateus Fernandes and Araújo, Schmidt bringing on Gonçalo Guedes for João Mário.
Estoril began to drop deeper which was a dangerous development for the hosts, Guedes’ shot blocked and Otamendi unable to connect cleanly after being presented with a great opportunity.
Late drama
Eight minutes of added time were awarded which was ample time for the Eagles to snatch a late winner, and that they did.
It didn’t take long when a deep corner was headed back into the danger area by Musa, António Silva in the right place at the right time to head the ball into the net.
Estoril threw players forward in an attempt to find a late equaliser, Bernardo Vital’s shot cleared off the line by António Silva who was an easy choice for man of the match.
Analysis
Estoril were brave in defeat, clearly buoyed by Vasco Seabra who was taking charge of his third match since replacing Álvaro Pacheco.
Rafik Guitane was instrumental with Tiago Araújo and Rodrigo Gomes threats out wide. Seabra has to find a way to get João Marques into the starting side and Tavares is the most likely candidate to make way.
Teenage midfielder Mateus Fernandes was strong in the middle of the park and Koba Koindredi had a decent performance coming in for the suspended Jordan Holsgrove.
It was far from a vintage performance from Benfica, but as we see so often for the big clubs in Portugal, they found a way to get it done in added time.
Roger Schmidt made five changes to the side that started in the 1-0 defeat at Inter Milan and it showed.
Ángel Di María is the Eagles’ most dangerous weapon and the injured Argentine was missed. It’s clear that Casper Tengstedt, Petar Musa and Arthur Cabral are not as good as Gonçalo Ramos, and that could be a problem the longer the season progresses.
António Silva was having a great game before scoring the winning goal and clearance at the death. The 19-year-old is playing with plenty of confidence and it’s fantastic to see.
By Matthew Marshall in Estoril
