How Benfica pulled off a stunning upset to defeat heavy favourites Ajax for a place in the Champions League quarter final

It really happened. SL Benfica, against the odds, pulled off a remarkable Champions League upset away from home to free-scoring Ajax to progress to the Champions League quarter final for the first time in 6 years.

Few - very few - gave Benfica a genuine chance of pulling off such a feat. Ajax had become the darlings of Europe, the beacon of hope among so many supporters outside of the elite clubs across the continent, representing the idea that an outsider really could challenge the established sides for the biggest prize in European football. Ajax, a club with a model so similar to that of Benfica, are everything that a ‘conveyer belt’ club outside of the big four leagues in Europe should aspire to be. Yet it was Benfica, somehow, who triumphed.

Heading into the first leg of their round of 16 battle, Ajax were 4th favourites to win the entire competition according to the reputable statistics website FiveThirtyEight, ahead of the likes of Chelsea, PSG and Real Madrid.

The very same data analysts gave Benfica just an 18% chance of progressing at the expense of Ajax before the first leg unfolded - making Benfica genuine minnows in this European clash. To qualify with such low odds is a phenomenal achievement, even if Benfica had to almost suffocate their opposition's attacking flair and endeavour to ultimately achieve it.

Very few internationally believed Benfica had what it takes. Even Benfica fans, who have witnessed their team be so disappointing in their domestic league throughout the current campaign, will have for the most part been pessimistic about their team's chances. And yet they not only qualified, but did so by beating Ajax, away from home, a feat many have attempted, but so few have succeeded in.

Defensive organisation crucial to Benfica's upset

Even fewer people would have expected Benfica to keep a clean sheet in Amsterdam. Ajax have scored a scarcely believable 119 goals across all competitions this season, the majority in their own stadium.

Having already beaten German giants Borussia Dortmund 4-0 and Sporting CP 1-5 in the Champions League group stage - in addition to having secured a 5-0 win over title rivals PSV domestically and recorded not one, but two 9-0 wins in the Eredivisie - Ajax have proven they have the ability to not only beat top teams, but rip them apart in the process. And with a close to full lineup to choose from, there was a realistic fear that Benfica could be their latest victim.

Benfica manager Nélson Veríssimo, however, deserves a great deal of praise. Aware of his own side's limitations and the overwhelming attacking potential of the opposition, Benfica showed off a masterclass in defensive organisation, with all 11 players of the field fully taking to the system so scarcely deployed by a Benfica team that is so accustomed to dominating virtually every match they play domestically.

That every player was siging from the same hymn sheet and were fully motivated and commited by the system they were asked to deploy was critical in giving Benfica the chance to pull it off. Very few teams are able to maintain such concentration, such defensive solidity, across a 90 minute period, particularly when the opposition are the dominant force in virtually every minute of the match.

That is where Verissimo needs to be given the credit he deserves. He hasn’t inspired a Benfica rejuvenation in the league, but in the Champions League, he masterminded a tactic that ensured Benfica filled the middle of the pitch, forcing Ajax out wide, where they were then quickly closed down while the box was flooded with defenders. That even the likes of Darwin Nunez and Everton Cebolinha were so willing to put a shift in defensively showed just how much belief the team had that this strategy was one that could reap the desired rewards.

It was a real contrast to the Benfica of the first leg too, where their second half display was arguably the greatest performance from a Benfica side in the Champions League in years. They were aggressive, closing down with speed and intent to win the ball high up the field, giving the Ajax players little opportunity to lift their heads and find a pass. Benfica could have easily come out of the first leg with a win, that’s how good they were, but had to settle for a draw.

In the second leg, it was completely different - yet arguably even more effective. Benfica played like minnows; it was the perfect visual illustration of a smash and grab. Benfica only looked like scoring from a set piece, and it was unsurprising that this was the source of their eventual breakthrough.

Ajax players were clearly, and understandably, frustrated after the match, perhaps unable to comprehend how they hadn’t won - and how they had managed to be eliminated by such an unfancied Benfica side having stormed through the group stage with six wins from six.

But any suggestion that Ajax deserved to win this match is, in reality, nonsense. For all their possession, for all their dominance, for all their opportunities, ultimately they never really threatened. They failed to make any serious clear-cut chances that caused Benfica’s backline genuine concerns. They found the back of the net at one point, but there was a clear offside in the buildup. They also had a huge chance at the very end to equalise on the night, but again, it was offside, this time very marginally. Within the laws of the game, Ajax were reduced to long-range efforts and half chances in the box, and rarely hit the target or forced Odysseas into a challenging save.

When all is said and done, Ajax can have no serious complaints. And Benfica go marching on.