Benfica were irrepressible against Barcelona ,Benfica ruthlessly overcame Barcelona.
The Portuguese side beat Barça for the first time since the sides’ first meeting in the 1961 European Cup final, having made an excellent start when Darwin Nuñez fired in before three minutes had elapsed. The visitors pressed for an equaliser, Luuk de Jong passing up two presentable chances, but always looked vulnerable at the back. Nuñez hit the post before Rafa Silva reacted smartly to steer in the second and Nuñez later slotted in from the spot, Barça’s woes compounded by Eric García’s late red card.
Thomas Schaaf, UEFA technical observer said , “Player of the Match is Benfica’s No9 Darwin Nuñez, who scored two goals and was always dangerous going forward. He was involved in almost everything, ran a lot, and always came out on top in his one-on-one duels.”
Nuñez’s first goal was Benfica’s first against Barcelona in 426 minutes, and their first ever against the Spanish side in Lisbon.
After the match Rafa Silva said “Scoring against Barcelona is a really good feeling, but it’s the same as every game I’ve played and goal I’ve scored. I feel that I am helping the team and that we are winning.”
Benfica striker, Darwin Nuñez said, “It’s a dream I’ve had forever. Playing against a great team like Barcelona and scoring a goal is a great satisfaction for me. I thank my colleagues for all the support they have given me since I arrived.”
Jorge Jesus, Benfica coach said “I knew that to beat Barcelona we had to score more than one goal. I was counting on conceding a goal, but the team did very well defensively. Vlachodimos didn’t have a save to make except crosses.”
FC Barcelona coach Koeman said, “Benfica were strong physically and they’re quick. I think that for the first and second goals we just had to defend much better. “We had really good scoring chances and that’s how you change the direction of a match. The fact that Benfica put away the large majority of the few chances they actually created then that’s the big difference between the two teams tonight”.
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URFA Champions League Benfica FC Barcelona Football Sports Kolkata
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