Benfica have won nine of their first eleven Liga Portugal games under Marco Silva and sit second, five points behind Porto. These figures cover every player’s minutes, goals, assists, per-90 rates and cards, after Matchday 11 and across all competitions this season, including the Europa League and Taca da Liga.
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The league form is just as strong. Benfica are second in the Portuguese League on 25 points from 10 games (eight wins, one draw, one defeat), five behind leaders FC Porto. They head into Sunday's trip to Amadora on seven straight wins in all competitions, including a 1-0 home win over Alverca this past Monday.
The break will thin out training, though. Fourteen Benfica players have been called up by their national teams. Samuel Soares, Tomas Araujo and Joao Palhinha have been picked by Portugal. Anatoliy Trubin and Georgiy Sudakov by Ukraine and striker Vangelis Pavlidis by Greece. Gianluca Prestianni has earned a spot in Argentina's first squad, Souffian El Karouani has been called by Morocco and Norway have picked Andreas Schjelderup and Fredrik Aursnes. Alessandro Circati will join Australia for their friendlies while Dodi Lukebakio heads to the Netherlands. Samuel Dahl has been called by Sweden and Alexander Bah by Denmark.
It is a mark of the squad's quality that so many are in demand. Silva will hope they all return fit, sharp and ready to keep the run going in the league and Europe.
A Fast Start
The hosts needed only six minutes to take the lead in the game. Andreas Schjelderup whipped in a low cross from the left that the visiting keeper failed to hold and Rafa Silva pounced on the rebound to score from close range. With the early goal in hand, Benfica dominated possession and kept Lech pinned back, leaving the Poles to look for chances on the break.
Substitutes Make the Difference
The game opened up after the hour mark. Gianluca Prestianni was one of three changes in the 62nd minute for Benfica and he needed just five minutes to make his mark, finishing a sharp individual move after a pass from Georgiy Sudakov to make it 2-0 for the home side. Lech though refused to fold. In the 72nd minute, Leo Bengtsson capitalised on a mistake from Enzo Barrenechea to halve the deficit and set up a tense finish at the Luz.
Sudakov Seals It
Benfica restored their cushion with the game winding down. Sudakov raced onto a counter-attack in the 90th minute and finished the game off, adding a goal to his earlier assist and earning a fully deserved man of the match. For Benfica, the result keeps them on course for a top-eight finish and a direct place in the round of 16. For Lech Poznan, who lead the Polish league at home, Europe remains a struggle, with no win in four matches.