Ramos is working to earn regular minutes with Benfica and has appeared in 14 games for the club this season across all competitions. Ramos has yet to score but has provided two helpers in his 642 minutes of action. Ramos in his short career has appeared in 27 games with Benfica across all competitions scoring six goals while setting up an additional three. Benfica signed Ramos to a five year contract in the fall of 2020 which includes a €120M buy out clause.
Benfica have now struggled in their last three games, losing two of the games at home after a morale boosting victory over Spanish giants Barcelona and cling to a slim one point advantage a top the Portuguese league after eight games of play.
Benfica suffered their first loss of their Champions League campaign at home to Bayern Munich 4-0 after holding off the German powerhouse scoreless for the first seventy minutes of the game. Benfica and Bayern went into the half scoreless as Bayern missed some good opportunities from Lewandowski and Coman, Benfica did respond with a glorious chance from Darwin Nunez that was turned aside by Bayern keeper Neuer. Benfica got a scare just before the half when Lewandowski though he had opened the scoring for the visitors but a VAR review negated the goal after a handball was spotted.
The second half saw VAR come into play once again against Bayern just eight minutes into the half as a Muller goal was called back after Coman was caught offside in the build up to the goal. Benfica seemed destined to open the scoring after a couple of chances the first by Diogo Goncalves' who's left footed shot was put over the bar by an outstretched Neuer. Yaremchuk then had his superb individual effort go inches wide of the left post as the hosts pressed to open the scoring.
Bayern would take the game by the horns at the seventy minute when a Leroy Sane free kick from 25 yards found the top right corner of the net. Bayern pressed on and scored again at the eighty minute mark with an own goal by substitute Everton. Bayern striker Lewandowski would add his name to the scoresheet just two minutes later and Sane would get his second of the game just two minutes after that as Bayern did all their damage within fourteen minutes of the second half on their way to their third straight victory of the campaign. Benfica remain second in the group with three games left until the round of 16.
STATS
Benfica Bayern Munich
35% Ball Possession 65%
8 Total shots 21
8 Chances created 16
213 Accurate Passes 483
4 Corners 3
0 Offsides 7
3 Shots on Target 7
The 49 year old who came through Benfica's youth system appeared in 121 games with the club across all competitions through two stints in a career that included stops at Fiorentina and AC Milan. The Portuguese International was also capped 94 times by the national side in a long and glorious career that saw him collect numerous trophies including the 2002-03 Champions League title while at Milan.
The debate was held on Benfica TV and some of the candidates key messages were:
Rui Costa - prefers to keep things as they are, amid the clubs success on and off the field over the past decade with league titles and players sales. Costa plans to work with a group of people on everything Benfica.
Francisco Benitez - wants to change the structure of the SAD and install more directors on the football side to assist in making club decisions. Benitez also prefers that all directors are Benfica fans.
Both candidates did agree that holding onto youth players who develop at Seixal longer would be an advantage in competitive play and potentially add more to the coffers at a later date as these players values rise.
Benfica had chance after chance turned away in the first half by Portimonense keeper Samuel who had seven saves on the net and after coming off one of their biggest victories in many seasons over Barcelona during the week. Benfica looked to just run out of gas in the second half conceding a corner kick at the 65th minute mark. The loss is Benfica's first in a competitive match since losing in the final of the Taca de Portugal in May of this year.
Fast forward to the 2021/22 season and the 22 year old seems to have found his place in a front trio with newly acquired striker Roman Yaremchuk and Portuguese speedster Rafa Silva. Nunez has scored six goals in his first seven games and none more impressive then his brace performance against Barcelona in this past weeks Champions League, which caught the attention of many of Europe's top clubs. Benfica have already stated that Darwin will go no where during the season but can the club resist the millions that will be thrown it's way during the summer transfer months?
It is not expected that Darwin will keep up his torrid pace to start the season but a more consistent performance could see the youngster become the second all time highest player sold by the club when the summer of 2022 arrives. Nunez has already been linked with clubs, Atletico Madrid, AC Milan and Inter in the past week and it is likely that more of Europe's big names will be added as the season progresses. Darwin's age and field position could be worth a range of €60M-€80M, a hefty amount that Benfica could add to it's coffers and strengthen the clubs finances, but for now let us sit back and enjoy the performance of the Uruguayan who is slowly becoming Europe's most wanted man.
