Mário penalty for Benfica puts Parker's Club Brugge in spot of bother
This tie stems from two clubs shocking the established elite of European football. Benfica topped Group H ahead of Paris Saint-Germain and Juventus, while Club Brugge’s first progression to the UCL knockout stages contributed to Atlético Madrid’s demise.
With that considered, it’s no surprise there was an electric atmosphere in the Jan Breydel Stadium as both sides looked to assert themselves, with Gonçalo Ramos and Tajon Buchanan seeing early efforts saved.
Benfica had a big opportunity following a poor pass from Clinton Mata, but Fredrik Aursnes made a complete mess of his shot.
Blauw-Zwart continued to cling onto their clean sheet, as Kamal Sowah’s attempted clearance hit Jack Hendry and spun over the crossbar, Rafa Silva’s inventive attempt hit the woodwork, while António Silva and Ramos both headed over.
After those escapes, the hosts thought they were ahead when Denis Odoi’s header hit Florentino Luís on its way in before the break, but Odoi had roamed offside.
Ramos wasted another chance after the restart, although it wasn’t long until he nipped in to reach a loose ball ahead of Hendry to win a penalty.
Simon Mignolet was desperately unlucky not to save João Mário’s shot, as the ball cannoned off his gloves, onto the crossbar and in for the midfielder’s fourth goal from the spot this UCL campaign.
While the hosts responded to the setback well, they couldn’t quite conjure the attacking quality required to test Odysseas Vlachodimos, leading to Scott Parker calling upon Ferran Jutglà despite the Spaniard not being fully fit.
It was Benfica substitute David Neres that capitalised on Bjorn Meijer’s mistake to score a late second, with As Águias recovering from their Taça de Portugal defeat to secure their fifth win in six across all competitions.
Club Brugge’s Twitter account posted a video stating “eagles may rule the sky, the farmer rules the field” pre-match, but the Blauw-Zwart remain stuck on one win in 10 since the FIFA World Cup break and face an uphill battle at the Estádio da Luz.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Álex Grimaldo (SL Benfica)
