We now return you to your regularly scheduled program

My apologies once again for not keeping the blog current, but personal and professional commitments sometimes speak louder.
With that out of the way i got a little bit of catching up to do. Last time i posted was on the eve of Benfica's Europa League debut, since then, not only did Benfica start their European campaign in the best way possible way, but they have also added two wins in their quest for domestic glory.


Let's take in parts.....

Europa League
There were many that thought that the group that Benfica was drawn into could have been a little easier. I, on the other hand, thought and still think, that the group couldn't have been better. I am of the opinion that if you are drawn into a group with mediocre teams you end up stooping down to their level.
With that into consideration, Benfica's group couldn't have been better. Everton, AEK and Bate aren't necessarily your powerhouses but they are also at a respectable level that will provide Benfica plenty of challenging matches.
Benfica opened up against Bate, in a game where JJ decided to give Aimar and Quim the night off.
The big surprises in the starting 11 were Julio Cesar, Nuno Gomes and Felipe Menezes. Menezes took over the 10 position while Gomes relegated Saviola to the bench, Julio Cesar was once again picked ahead of Moreira,.
Benfica won the game comfortably, as they should have, with a 2-0 result built in the first half by Cardozo and Nuno Gomes.
With the win Benfica, confirmed their favoritism on paper and avoided starting the group stages in compromising fashion...
Next Up, a difficult trip to Greece to play AEK.

Away Game vs Leiria
With only a few days of rest Benfica traveled to Leiria in a game that featured the best attack and the best defense of the early stages of the league. This time Keirrison got the start ahead of Cardozo along side Saviola. In a stadium that registered their biggest attendance in 5 years(22,676), mostly Benfiquistas, Benfica started well and at the 4 minute mark were already up 1-0 courtesy of Saviola. What seemed like turning out to be an easy game became more complicated as David Luiz gave the home team the tying goal. Leiria defended well, and Benfica fought long and hard to find holes in the well organized defensive lines. Benfica's go ahead goal ended up coming in the 78th minute following a penalty on Aimar. A penalty that was contested by the home team, but that in my opinion was a clear foul.
Benfica struggled to win the game but never gave up looking for the win, and fought hard to come away with the win, which in the end was the just result.
On the Keirrison watch, nothing new, the young Brazilian continues to fail to make a real impression, even though there is a visible evolution in his adaptation to Benfica's game.

Home Game vs Leixoes.
This past Saturday, Benfica returned home to face Leixoes, in a weekend where porto and Sporting faced each other, Benfica had the perfect opportunity to gain points, provided off course, they could beat Leixoes. With that though in mind, perhaps it's no surprise that JJ fielded his best 11. Ramires and Javi Garcia who had been reported as doubtful for the game, made the game roster and started along with Quim, Maxi, Luisao, David Luiz, Peixoto, Aimar, DiMaria, Cardozo and Saviola.
Set in defending and stopping Benfica, Leixoes came out playing hard and fouling as the best way to stop Benfica. In the first half, the Leixoes men managed to pick up 5 yellow cards, one of them a double yellow, that left Benfica in numerical advantage after the 27th minute. Fouling, simulated injuries, and decision arguing ultimately rewarded Benfica with 5 minutes of extra time, and it was in those 5 minutes that Benfica got the opening goal.

Coming out of the locker room up 1 goal and against 10 men, the second half looked to be a lot different as the Leixoes men would now have to open up and look to come out of their own half despite being a man down. benfica came out strong again and quickly pushed Leixoes into their half. The second goal came from a penalty after Aimar was brought down in the box following a good combination play. The player that commited the foul picked up the a red, as Aimar was going to be 1 on 1 with the keeper. Cardozo converted and everything became much easier for Benfica, who would get goals in the 75th(Ramires),82nd(Maxi),89th(Cardozo), to obtain their 6th win in 7 matches for the Liga Sagres.

Leixoes can't complain about the referee and their fate in this game, as the aggressive behavior of their players was visible since the dtart of the game.
I find comical that the visitors coach commented on the referee's attitude towards his team, stating that the referee should have been a bit more of an adviser and shown some more leniency towards his players, being that they are inexperienced. The referee's warnings were visible, and there were quite a few plays where more cards could have come out. The fact that Leixoes is the team that fouls the most in the Liga Sagres is no coincidence.

The current wave of enthusiasm felt by the fans, is visible as 42,000 plus were once again in attendance, and how can they not be excited about this team? The team plays an attractive style of futebol, they score, and the fans leave the stadium feeling good about what they saw.

Next up is the second game of the Europa League with a difficult trip to Greece, a win is very much an attainable result, and the fans expect no less than this team.