sIt will be difficult to heal the open wounds between Roger Schmidt and Benfica fans, especially the more “extreme” organized fans. The coach said he would not forgive the fans who threw a bottle at him in Faro, and he saw new discontent coming from the stands in Luz.
Banners directed at the president, torches thrown on the field, insulting chants towards the coach, and fans against fans. The first half, for those who were at the Estádio da Luz, was worthy of a 'civil war', which is all too common in football when the results are not the best.
However, one of the characteristics that beautifies this sport is the fact that “all's well that ends well”. After Benfica's return against Braga on Saturday, there was not a single whistle. The white napkins were kept.
Braga started the match better and more relaxed and scored the first goal of the match in the 28th minute through Ricardo Horta. He received a late cross from Alvaro Djalo and finished the match strongly. The aforementioned events occurred shortly after, causing the match to be halted.
In the second half, after the entry of Alvaro Carreras, Orkun Kukcu and Marcos Leonardo, Benfica reached a draw. It was even the Brazilian, who is now the player who has scored the most goals in the league as a substitute, who started the path towards transformation.
The former Santos player equalized with an indirect free kick in the 71st minute after one entry. In the 84th minute, David Neres scored the winning goal after a tense cross from Di Maria to the far post. After the ninety mark, in stoppage time, it was Marcos Leonardo's turn to score two goals in an insistence move.
appearance
Marcus Leonardo It came midway through the second half with Orkun Kukcu, when Benfica were still losing. The young Brazilian came on in the 70th minute and a minute later scored. He touched the ball a few times, but it was decisive.
a surprise
Alvaro Carreras He came on in the 52nd minute to give width to Benfica's left side which was “besieged” by Orsnes. The Norwegian passed to the right and gave the Spaniard more depth and width, confirming the recent good performance in Faro. Asks for ownership.
disappointment
Victor GomezBraga's right winger was not having the best games defensively and offensively. What's more, he was sent off for a straight red card after a rash tackle on Angel Di Maria.
Trainers
Roger Schmidt: After making more changes than usual against Varense, the German once again bet on several players who make up his main “team”. Schmidt's team performed poorly in the first half, partly due to off-field events. In the second, he was proactive with his substitutions and it ended up being rewarded.
Roy Duarte: The “interim” coach of Sp. Braga fielded an almost full-strength squad, leaving Jose Fonte, an experienced member, on the bench. He was given a chance with Cher Nadour as a defensive midfielder and that gamble seemed to be working in the first half. However, the “patient” attitude he demanded from his players seemed to backfire in the second half. Sp Braga wasted time from the start of the match and ended up losing.
to rule
Joao Pinheiro He could have given Nicolas Otamendi, Benfica's centre-back, a harsh rebuke for elbowing Zalazar in the face. A yellow card would have been good. In the case of the red card given to Victor Gomez, a straight red card is accepted, although the severity of the stamp given to Di Maria is always somewhat explanatory.
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