Benfica secured a narrow 2-1 victory at the Estádio da Luz to take an advantage in the first leg of their Europa League playoff tie versus Toulouse.
The Lisbon side will consider themselves fortunate after two second half penalties proved to be the difference in a tightly-contested match.
Ángel Di María was the hero on the night after converting two spot-kicks but Roger Schmidt will accept that his side will have to improve if they have hopes of progressing to the round of 16.
Strong starting XI
After a disappointing 2-2 draw with Vitóriade Guimarães on Sunday, Roger Schmidt opted to field a strong side against Toulouse. A centre-back partnership of Nicolás Otamendi and António Silva was accompanied by the extremely reliable midfield duo of Orkun Kökçü and João Neves. A front four of Arthur Cabral, Rafa. Di María, and João Mário were trusted to provide the goals for the home side.
The decision to leave David Neres, Florentino Luís and newly-signed Brazilian striker Marcos Leonardo was a surprise considering the three players did not start against Vitória in Guimarães.
Cagey first half
Benfica often struggle to get going in the first half and tonight their first scoring opportunity came in the 29th minute. The chance fell to captain Otamendi who sailed his header over the goal.
Rafa came closest to a goal with a curling shot that bounced off the crossbar. Toulouse were well organised and despite Benfica dominating the possession in the first half (57.2%), the French side rarely looked at risk of conceding a goal.
Late penalty saves Benfica
Roger Schmidt chose to come out with an unchanged side in the second half and the results were very much the same. Benfica pushed for the opening goal with Carreras have their best opportunity in the 51st minute. Neres and Alexander Bah were brought on to try and revive a Benfica side that looked devoid of any imagination.
After continually pressing, Benfica were gifted a penalty in the 68th minute. A handball from defender Logan Costa provided the Lisbon side with their first penalty. Di María stepped up to place the ball right down the middle giving the home fans something to cheer about.
That joy was short-lived after a chaotic exchange in the box saw the ball fall to Danish full back Mikkell Desler who volleyed a perfectly timed shot to the bottom corner to beat Anatoliy Trubin.
The match looked to be heading towards a draw but with seven minutes of added time, Benfica continued to drive forward. A sloppy lunge from Christian Mawissa on Marcos Leonardo late in the match left the referee with no choice but to award a second penalty.
Di María was once again called upon to save the Lisbon club and his low shot to the right side of the goal ensured a modest victory for Benfica.
Return leg in France
Toulouse manger Carles Novell was livid after the match and received a yellow card for his protests at the final whistle.
The Spaniard will be proud of his team’s performance and optimistic about the upcoming home tie. Toulouse have already defeated Liverpool 3-2 this season at home and a boisterous crowd could be the difference next week. Dutch striker Thijs Dallinga and Ivory Coast midfielder Yann Gboho looked dangerous throughout the match and could play a role in the return leg.
Roger Schmidt will be relieved after a late goal saved his side for a second consecutive week. The German will need to make adjustments if Benfica are to progress to the next round of the Europa League in France next week.
[1-0] Ángel Di María (pen), 67’
[1-1] Mikkel Desler, 75’
[2-1] Ángel Di María (pen), 98’
