Benfica and Braga earn victories in Europa League to strengthen hopes of a successful campaign
Jorge Jesus’ Benfica put in a performance to remember against Standard Liege as they secured a comfortable 3-0 victory, while Carlos Carvalhal’s Braga battled to a vital 2-1 victory away in Ukraine against Zorya Luhansk.
Braga got off to a flying start in the early kick-off, finding the back of the net after just 3 minutes after Paulinho swept home a perfect low cross from right wingback Ricardo Esgaio.
The Minho outfit did not take long to then double their lead, former Benfica ace Nico Gaitan proving that class is permanent with a beautiful first-time shot from outside the box in the 11th minute - and it looked like Braga were going to cruise to victory.
The game proved complicated though, and Zorya grew into the match in emphatic fashion, with Braga on the backfoot for the vast majority of the second half.
You could equally deem it a thoroughly professional display from Braga, who showed their defensive prowess to limit Zorya’s clear-cut goalscoring opportunities despite seeing their Ukrainian counterparts begin to dominate possession and have the better opportunities.
Nevertheless, Braga’s defence was eventually breached, Zorya finding an extremely late consolation goal through a deflected Ivanisenya shot in the 96th minute, but it was insufficient to get anything from the game, and Braga now sit joint top of the table with Leicester City on 6 points, six clear of both Zorya and AEK Athens who are yet to get off the mark.
Benfica then made it a perfect day for Portuguese football in the later kickoff, putting in a very convincing display against Standard Liege. Dominating possession, Benfica showed great spells of quality, and were unfortunate to go into half time with the scores level.
It did not take them long to break the deadlock after the break, with Pizzi converting from the spot in the 48th minute, before Waldschmidt scored a penalty of his own in the 66th minute.
There was room for Benfica to extend their lead further in the 76th minute, Pizzi scoring a delightful curling effort into the top corner from just inside the box to round off a tremendous day for Jorge Jesus’ men.
Like Braga, Benfica are also sitting comfortably in their group, having secured two wins from two to be on 6 points, level with the tally obtained by Rangers, who Benfica host in their next Europa League game.
Adel Taarabt. Photo author: Anton Zaitsev. License link.
