Portuguese journalists were satisfied with the performance of Benfica in the match against Dynamo, especially in the first half. Local media note the confident play of the Eagles, who could have scored many more goals even in the first half of the game. Most of all, journalists praised Nicolas Otamendi, the team captain, who opened the scoring in the match. And also Roger Schmidt, who outplayed Mircea Lucescu without any problems and helped Benfica reach the group stage of the Champions League. And in general, the German coach changed the team's game for the better.
Benfica got access to the millionaires' league," is how a journalist from A Bola calls the Champions League. Reaching the group stage of this tournament will allow Benfica to feel much more financially confident and help to keep the leaders of the team.
— The Champions League is synonymous with money. A tournament that allows almost any team to feel financially calm over the next year. The tournament, without which the Portuguese giants are forced to sell the best players from year to year, simply in order not to be in a deep loss.
After defeating Dynamo on the road, Benfica only confirmed that today they are much stronger than the Ukrainians. It didn't take long for Roger Schmidt's team to take the lead. Already in the 27th minute, Otamendi, after the transfer of Neres, opens the scoring in the match. Before the end of the first half, Benfica scores two more goals, and if they converted all their chances, the score would be indecent.
In the second half, Schmidt began to make substitutions, and the pace of the game noticeably slowed down. Dynamo failed to change the course of the game. Benfica continued to put pressure and create chances, but the spectators did not see any more goals. Benfica can be happy to qualify for the group stage. She has already earned 38 million euros, and it will be possible to talk about more specific tasks after the draw.
Benfica secured their place in the Champions League after a splendid first half. He emphasizes that Benfica's game has changed under Roger Schmidt. Now this team plays much more confidently, thanks to which they got into the group stage of the Champions League without any problems.
— For the first 25 minutes, Benfica "strangled" the opponent, not allowing him to breathe freely, but did not score goals. Roger Schmidt's team plays lively and vibrant football, which Benfica fans have been dreaming of for so long. The team has a clear style, which is dominated by active pressing all over the field, thanks to which the opponent starts making mistakes early. And then the individual and team class of "eagles" already affects. This team always has a lot of chances, but it is equally important to be able to realize them. Benfica could have defeated Dynamo in the first half, but limited themselves to 3 goals. However, this turned out to be enough for a comfortable victory and advancement to the next round. The Ukrainians played equally bad both in defense and in attack, in fact, without creating any threat on the half of the Benfica field. It seems that last year, in fact, with the same squad, Dynamo played much better than now.
In the second half, Benfica continued to create chances at the Dynamo goal, but in general the pace of the game fell. After the end of the match, Roger Schmidt hinted that Goncalo Ramos could stay at Benfica precisely because the Lisbon club would earn huge UEFA prizes that would help it keep key players in the team..
“Benfica Starry Night,” a MaisFutebol journalist praises the performance of the Portuguese club and beats in the headline Benfica’s entry into the group stage of the Champions League or “star league”, as it is sometimes called in Portugal, because the best teams play in this tournament and football players.
— A night that will remain in the memory of Benfica for a long time. Not only because the Lisbon club reached the group stage of the Champions League again. And not because the Eagles have earned almost 40 million euros in prize money from UEFA, which can help them keep Goncalo Ramos, and also buy 2-3 strong players. These are all nice bonuses for Benfica. But first of all, I would like to draw attention to the game of the Eagles. For a game that you want to reconsider, that you enjoy and that pleases even a neutral viewer.
In a short time, Roger Schmidt managed to transform the team, which now plays as if there was no crisis last season. The loss of Nunez and Everton seemed very serious for Benfica, but the team's newcomers made them forget about the departed. In addition, Schmidt unleashed the potential of many players who were on the verge of leaving Benfica for much weaker teams last season. It was the German coach who managed to do what the much more experienced Jorge Jesus failed to do.
Dynamo, which managed to get past Fenerbahce and Sturm, had no chance against Benfica. In both matches, but especially in Lisbon, the Ukrainians did not surprise in the attack, and in the defense they constantly made mistakes due to the high pressure of Benfica. The experienced Lucescu could not oppose anything to Schmidt. The Eagles could have won with a much larger score, which Lucescu himself spoke about after the match. The Romanian coach does not like to admit defeat, but this time even he understood that the difference in class between Benfica and Dynamo is too great at the moment.
Anton PROKOPOV