Benfica and Sporting will meet for the Super Cup for the 7th time when you include 1944 and 1964 editions, with the clubs having evenly split the first six games. Benfica will be looking to capture their tenth Super Cup and avenge their league and taca defeats to Sporting.
His contract with Tigre runs until the end of 2026 and it is said that he does not have a release clause written into his contract, so Benfica will have to negotiate directly with the club if they are to acquire the services of Scipioni this summer.
Tigre has already rejected approaches from Greek club Olympiacos and MLS side Colorado Rapids, although no figures are being reported it does look like Tigre will be looking for what they feel is top dollar to move on from the midfielder.
Although Olympiacos remain inerested, Benfica are actively pursuing a deal to bolster their midfield for the 2025-26 season. Scipioni has been with Tigre since January of 2022 and has appeared in 31 games since moving into the main squad during the 2023-24 season.
Benfica showcased their superiority in the end, led by Angel di Maria but Auckland City's first half resilience was the talk of the first forty-five minutes of this contest. Benfica were fortunate to take a 1-0 lead to the half with a late penalty given to the club and Angel di Maria once gain coming up aces from the penalty spot.
When the second half did begin, Benfica capitalized on the fading energy of the Auckland players, Vangelis Pavlidis would score a pretty goal set up by Orkun Kokcu just eight minutes into the second half. Renato Sanches would then make it three after just entering the game, when his shot was deflected past Auckland's university keeper.
Leandro Barreiro would score a quick brace within two minutes to take the score up to 5-0 with both goals set up by striker Pavlidis. Angel di Maria would seal Benfica's 6-0 victory with his second goal from the penalty spot in stoppage time.
The scoreline was flattering to Benfica who struggled at times to break down the a semi-professional squad, especially in the first half. Lage's substitutions in the second half looked to spark the club's attack led by Sanches who could have added to his tally if not for some key misses and some key saves from the Auckland keeper.
Benfica will now finish off their group stage against Bayern Munich on Tuesday in Charlotte, with advancement to the knockout stages still up in the air, the club will be happy that they where able to boost their goal differential which may be the deciding factor if the club's participation is to continue in the tournament after Tuesday.
