What remains of the Luz classic. In reality, the Dragons did not play à-Porto, but this had nothing to do with dedication or aggression. The red-blacks were superior at all times, with the ball and without it
There's a reason to turn this classic on its head. As much merit as Benfica had, and had, I don't remember seeing an FC Porto as permeable as yesterday.
The Reds could have reached the break with an enlightening advantage, which would eventually bring even more dramatic contours to the second half. To prove the thesis, it is enough to anticipate as a scenario what happened after the 2-1, even though we all know that football does not follow a single path.
There are many crossroads in 90 minutes. Some were created even by supposedly those who love the team they support, like the childish acts that came from the stands, which cut off the momentum of their team and even paved the way for the draw, practically falling from the sky simultaneously with Otamendi (another inexplicable error). Until then, there was only one or two shivers from Trubin, caused by Galen from afar.
A note on what Ruben Amorim said: the difference between the greats and the others. The big ones aren't getting bigger, but the little ones might be getting smaller
However, in addition to the goal, the ball on the post and the various approaches to Diogo Costa's goal, the idea of ease for Bruno Lage's men came through.
The game never seemed complex for Benfica. Merit of the red and black, yes, but obvious demerit of the visitors. It was noticeable in the way Lage's team managed to dribble Porto's pressure – a great game from Tomás Araújo, the best on the field – and then found an opening in the half-spaces for the vertical pass. In two, three passes, the eagles approached the opposing area. The exploration of the internal channel between central and left-back by Aursnes and Bah was also visible, with Di María serving as a catalyst or reference, which resulted in the confirmation of the triumph.
The Reds dominated the game almost from start to finish and only with Samu's goal, after Otamendi's mistake, did the blue and whites create a real danger.
The dragons were too far from each other, without cohesion, often disorganized, and were heavily penalized. Interestingly, if the spotlights are pointed at the defensive axis and even at the full-backs, the lack of coverage double-pivotformed by Varela and Eustáquio, are evident in the Reds' second and third goals.
I said this before and I continue to believe that this FC Porto is in a zero year. And a zero year doesn't justify (if any justifies) going down to the locker room to shout at the players or protests in Olival. Even with the demands that exist at Dragão.
There were many changes and, even though the work done managed to camouflage yet another drop in quality in the squad – Vítor Bruno has been looking for the right pairs of defenders and midfielders since the summer – and all the changes made, and the cracks would naturally appear one day. The start in the League has been exemplary with the exception of the confrontation with direct rivals and thinking that the club could emerge from a comatose financial state to a footballing dimension similar to that of the other candidates would always be an overly optimistic scenario.
It was a Benfica thinking small that traveled to Munich and lost to Bayern. The football players realized it, they verbalized it and the mistake could be expensive in the future
Of course, one can talk about FC Porto's more cautious approach, although not at the level of Benfica in Munich, but still outside of its more controlling nature. Something that may have to do with how the coach felt about the team after Rome's defeat in the Europa League. Or it was just a flawed strategy.
In the first phase of construction, there were also many difficulties in overcoming the Reds' pressure, which was very high and aggressive, and if they didn't steal the ball, they forced it to be hit and thus recovered it for another attack.
Benfica returned to the comfort of 4x3x3, which once again proved competent in both moments – once again highlighting, in contrast, the nonsense Munich –, with and without the ball, which coincides with the quality of one of its main figures: Aursnes. He pressed well and always knew how to get out of counter pressure, attracting Vítor Bruno's players to the limit. Then, he took advantage of the space and knew how to hurt. Carreras once again highlighted his growth, Di María showed what he can still do when deciding (the 2-1 finish was amazing) and Florentino highlighted the need that all coaches have for him when they need balance.
FC Porto coach regretted both the result and the performance in the Clásico, especially in the second half, and blamed himself for the heavy defeat
Benfica emerges better from the classic and sees, with the departure of Rúben Amorim from a Sporting team in a state of ecstasy, a light at the end of the tunnel in the race for the title. However, not everything is perfect, as we saw against Farense.
The two consecutive defeats put FC Porto on alert. It is true that he can still correct the result with his rivals in the second round, at Dragão, but there are cracks appearing that need to be covered as soon as possible. The break will have to do that.
