Arouca 1-2 Benfica
Mourinho’s Benfica, while still boasting of being the only team in Europe’s top leagues, refuses to surrender in the Primeira Liga title race. After rescuing a dramatic draw in ‘O Clássico’ to prevent Porto—who lead by four points and play Moreirense tomorrow—from sealing the title, they once again relied on heroics to complete a comeback against Arouca (2-1).
Things turned sour just five minutes into the match. VAR overturned an initial no-call, awarding a penalty for António Silva’s foul on Iván Barbero. The Spanish striker, formerly of Osasuna, Almería, Alcorcón, and Deportivo, converted from the spot to beat Trubin, ending a four-game drought and netting his sixth goal of the Primeira Liga season.
From then on, the game was played mostly in Arouca’s half, but Benfica managed only one shot on target from 10 attempts. That came from Pavlidis, who headed home from close range off a corner just before halftime. Barbero nearly doubled his tally before the break, while Trubin kept Benfica alive by denying a second goal early in the second half.
In the 50th minute, Richard Rios rose unmarked to head in a corner from Schjelderup, leveling the match. Paradoxically, Benfica then lost some momentum. However, deep into stoppage time, Franjo Ivanovic—who provided an assist against Porto in the previous match—smashed home a cross from Prestianni from the edge of the box, sparking wild celebrations. Before the final whistle, Trezza and Dedic were sent off for violent conduct.
