Benfica coming off a 3rd round Taca de Portugal 2-0 win Friday over Chaves have learned their opponents in the 4th round of the competition as they get set to face city rivals Atletico who defeated Felgueiras 1932 by the same 2-0 score yesterday.
The 4th round matchup is set to take place on November 22 with Atletico as the assigned home club. You would have to go all the way back to the time of Eusebio in the 1960's for the last time these two clubs went head to head in a competitive game.
Greek striker Vangelis Pavlidis stole the show, netting both goals. He opened the scoring in the 8th minute with a clinical finish from close range, capitalizing on a swift counterattack led by Georgiy Sudakov and then made it two at the 79 minute mark.
Chaves, from the second division, struggled to contain Benfica's attacking flair, with Dodi Lukebakio and Joao Rego creating constant threats. Despite some resilient defending from the Chaves backline they could not keep Benfica off the scoresheet.
Benfica will now await to find out their opponents in the fourth round as they will face the victors of Atletico and Felgueiras.
Benfica last played a competitive game on October 5 when they traveled to Porto to take on their league rivals in what turned out to be a scoreless Classico. Benfica are hoping to capture their first Taca de Portugal since 2017 and their 27th trophy title in the competition.
Last season Benfica made their way to their first final since 2021 but lost to cross town rivals Sporting 3-1 in additional extra time. Benfica have lost their last three final appearances, one each to Sporting, FC Porto and Braga.