Benfica 1 - Braga 0 - Attitude Above All

It wasn't going to be an easy game for Benfica. As I wrote in my preview, Braga is one of the most competitive teams in the Liga Sagres, they came into Estadio da Luz riding a 10 game unbeaten streak, and hoped that they could continue that streak against Benfica, who find themselves at a delicate time in their season.
After getting back on the winning track against Guimaraes, Benfica was looking to keep up with the front runners, and that meant defeating a team that was 3 points behind them.

**pic via getty**

Not too many changes in the starting 11 from the team we saw in Guimaraes. Moreira was back in goal, the defensive back four stayed the same with Maxi, Luisao, Miguel Vitor and David Luiz. In the midfield, Amorim was the only change from Wednesday's midfield line up, as Katsouranis, Yebda and DiMaria were all repeats. Up front Aimar supported Suazo.
After much speculating by the media about who would start in goal, Moreira continues to deserve Quique's trust, and tonight we saw why, as the fan favorite had a handful of saves that kept the scoreline in Benfica's favor.

Onto the game...

Not the usual strong start by Benfica, but not a shy one either. I am of the opinion that, when Benfica plays home, they should always come out blazing, and take the game to the opposition, no matter who it is, but that wasn't the case tonight. I saw the start as a calculated start by Benfica, which allowed Braga to not wait to see what Benfica was bringing, and get their own game going. Braga explored the flanks with speed and were even the team with the most initiative, but the first real chance belonged to Benfica at the 11th minute mark, when Suazo gets the ball on the side of the box cuts inside and tries to curl the ball into the far corner. Eduardo responded well but Benfica finally emerged. From that point to the end of the half, the game was very balanced with both teams having their incursions into each other's defensive areas, but without being able change the score line. The half drew to a close and Benfica benefited from a free kick from the outside of the box. Aimar found David Luiz at the first post and the Brazilian, free of a marker, found the back of the net. On the replay, Luiz is in an offside position when the free kick is struck. The referee would shortly point to the locker room, and Benfica got a real break going into the half time period. Not that they deserved to be losing at the half, but i think the tie could have been equally fair.

Coming out ahead in the second half, Benfica tried to play a smart consistent game, pressuring Braga high and not backing up their positions on the field. DiMaria was brought down in the box in the 57th minute, after going by one adversary and the referee gave Benfica another chance for Benfica to increase their lead. In the absence of Cardozo, Suazo stepped up to take the pk, but Eduardo once again denied the Honduran. After the missed pk, I got the feeling that perhaps that would be a turning point for Braga, but the team kept calm and collected and continued to hold their own. In the 65th minute, Quique made his first change, when he brought on Reyes for DiMaria. The Spaniard brought a new threat to the left side, but his down time prevented him from doing more. 7 minutes later, Martins would come on for Aimar, in an attempt to give the midfield another unit with chasing capabilities, without foregoing the attacking attitude. Benfica continued to hold their ground as Braga looked desperately for the equalizer. Moreira had a couple of good saves, including a one on one with Renteria. Moreira kept Benfica ahead, and answered any doubts that might have risen from the fluke at Trofense. Nuno Gomes would refresh the attack in the 83rd minute, coming in for Suazo, and Benfica would hold on until the final whistle to secure the three points. Three points that would return Benfica to first place two hours later, as porto tied the same team that took Benfica from first place a week earlier.

It's going to be a very animated week for the media and the critics, as the game was poorly refereed I Benfica's favor. Bad call on Benfica's goal, correct call on the DIMaria penalty, and doubtfull call on Luisao's slide tackle inside the box.

Not an impressive game by Benfica, as far as playing goes, but when the attitude and the effort is there, there really can't be many fingers that can be pointed at the team. However, I have seen this team play a lot better in the beginning stages of the season, to think that the team is still in the growing stages and there's a sizable error margin, is a misconception. At this point of the season, Quique should be doing very little to the team as far as tweaking, but i get the feeling that this team is still far from the small tweak stage. There's a clear absence of a midfield boss, a player that connects the defensive sector with the offense. That is the biggest void in this squad in my opinion.



Up next are 2 League Cup fixture, coming up this wednesday against Olhanense and then Sunday against Belenenses. So for another 2 weeks, first place is still ours..