P. Ferreira 3 - Benfica 4

Benfica got their first win of the season with a win over P.Ferreira. In a game that had seven goals, but that was all but too close for comfort. Despite being up by two goals at the end of the half, Benfica felt that they needed to add a little more excitement to the game, by going down to the wire with the win far from guaranteed.


A few surprises on the starting 11 by Quique, who chose the following players for this game - Quim in goal, Maxi, Miguel Vitor, Sidnei and Jorge Ribeiro. Yebda, Martins, Amorim and Reyes in the midfield. Up front it was Nuno Gomes and Cardozo.

While the tandem - Miguel Vitor/Sidnei was more than certain, it was the inclusion of Jorge Ribeiro at left back that was the biggest surprise. Quique opted to give Leo the night off, in an obvious attempt to manage the squad.
In the middle, Amorim repeated a pre-season season start, but that up to now, had not been an one of Qique's choices. In the game against Napoli I had suggested Amorim's inclusion in the starting 11 as he is a player that brings a certain balance to the midfield line. I didn't expect him to get the start against P. Ferreira, but with the field being so narrow, and risking not getting the best results out of one of his wing men, Quique opted for Amorim.
Amorim proved my logic about him, without being too much of a flashy player or a player that will cause mismatches, Amorim's vision and his defensive abilities make him a safe bet, and i'm sure this wasn't the last we saw of him.
Reyes got another chance on the left wing, and showed visible improvement from the past two outings. Nuno Gomes seemed like the logic choice to support Cardozo, after all, they've played together before, during last season and often brought good results.

On to the game...

Benfica started well, and went up on the scoreboard at the 6 minute mark, after a good 1-2 between Martins and Reyes, with this last one finding Nuno Gomes in the heart of the box for the finishing touch. A pure counter play at full speed which really shows what Benfica is capable of doing this season. But just like in Italy, Benfica wasn't able to hold on to the lead, and after a poor clearance by Reyes, off a corner, the P. Ferreira man, took a shot that hit Sidnei in the back and went in out of Quim's reach, flashbacks of the Napoli game went through my head.
Despite never really taking control of the game, but playing a notch above the home team, Benfica took the lead in the 31st minute when Maxi picked up a rebound from a Nuno Gomes header. Once again a good combination play starting in the midfield, with Amorim finding Nuno Gomes just past his marker.
There are games when the team creates and creates, and the goals never come, in this instance, it was Benfica's efficiency that had them back up on the scoreboard. Up 2-1, Benfica assumed control of the game, but their good moments of play came in spurts and never in a steady stream. It was on one of those spurts that Amorim appeared at the touchline crossing the ball into the box, which was handled by a P. Ferreira man inside the box, as he was sliding to block the cross. Called to convert, Cardozo got his second goal of the season, blasting the ball into the net. Benfica would still have a nother chance before the half was up, but the quick reflexes of a P.Ferreira defender, prevented a Sidnei shot from going in right at the goal line.

It's hard to speculate what Quique told the team at half time, and what corrections he made, the truth is that the team came with too much of a lax posture for the second half.
They could not assume control of the game, by having more possession, and seemed too retracted as a team to put the game out of reach. P. Ferreira kept playing and building up their confidence. They would eventually get the 3-2 at the 62nd minute, following a short corner in which Quim, once again, did his best impression of Ricardo, letting go of the ball for an easy tap in for P. Ferreira.
With almost 30 minutes yet to be played, Benfica saw themselves in a delicate position, as they had now allowed P. Ferreira to come back on them twice. Quique subbed in Aimar for Nuno Gomes in the 68th minute in an attempt to gain more posession. Despite playing right behind Cardozo, Aimar was dropping into the midfield and helping out with Benfica's transition game, which needed a new dynamic, now that the P. Ferreira men were much higher on the field.
8 minutes later, Benfica would once again make the scoreboard work, when Jorge Ribeiro "snippered" a shot off the left post, after a good combination with Martins. Benfica seemed to have put the game out of reach then.
Quique would send in Balboa for Amorim, to not only explore the counter but to keep the P. Ferreira defense in check. Bu the game was bot over yet, P. Ferreira would once again make the game close, when in the 85th minute, they took advantage of another bad clearance to bring the anxiety back to Benfica and fans alike.
DiMaria came in for Reyes in the 89th minute in a time where P.Ferreira was dumping balls into the Benfica box. It seemed that every ball that was put into Benfica's box, was bringing danger to Quim's net, whether on the lack of proper clearances, or the uncharacteristically shaky performance by Quim. The same Quim would later make a fine foot save in the dying minutes of the game that secured the first 3 points for Benfica this season.

Individually

Quim - 6
Maxi - 7
Miguel Vitor - 7
Sidnei - 8
Jorge Ribeiro -6
Yebda - 8
Martins - 7
Reyes - 8
Amorim - 7
Nuno Gomes - 8
Cardozo - 7

Aimar - 7
Balboa - 5
DiMaria - NA

Couple thoughts on the game...

What is going on with Quim? Don't tell me that being named the national teams' starting keeper had a negative effect on Quim? Ever since he took over the #1 job, he hasn't been the same, first on a national team level and now at a club level, where he had previously brought a level of confidence to not only the back line, but to the rest of the team.
Good thing there are 2 good quality keepers in the wings. I'm not by any means asking for his benching, as there were many times last season when Quim carried the team, but his decline in form is starting to alarm me.

Getting a taste of the pine was the Olympic medalist, DiMaria. There is no doubt i my mind that he is talented, and has a bright future ahead of him, but bench time, and playing time, go hand in hand with a player's skill and personality traits evolution, namely humility.
Despite playing out of position in Italy and not in his best condition against Porto, DiMaria needs to realize that he still has a lot of work in front of him.

Good outing for the two 19 year old's in the center of the defense. Despite not having a commanding presence in the box on set pieces yet, both of them played a good game with little or no mistakes. Sidnei continues to evolve and keeps confirming my first opinions of him when i first saw him in Guimaraes against PSG - a quality player with a great future ahead of him.

Just like Sidnei, Reyes also seems to be getting used to the team and the game that is played in Portugal. I don't want to speak too soon, but he is a world class player that can help Benfica a lot, let's hope his ego doesn't misguide him.

Up next is Sporting at home. Benfica's arch rivals are unbeaten and currently have a 4 point lead. Next weekend would be a great chance to get some of those points back.

Photo# Miguel Riopa AFP