Benfica draw in a thrilling clash with Porto, still believe in the title

Benfica drew with Porto (2-2), this Sunday, March 8, in a match for the 25th round of the Liga Portugal Betclic. After the victory against Gil Vicente , the Luz emblem was close to suffering a defeat, but avoided it.

In a duel played at the Estádio da Luz, the reds started pressingly, but quickly found themselves at a disadvantage. At 10 minutes, Alan Varela set up Victor Froholdt and the Dane, facing Anatoliy Trubin, shot for an initial save by the Ukrainian goalkeeper, however, on the rebound, the dragons' midfielder made it 1-0. At a disadvantage, the eagles put their foot back on the accelerator but saw Porto reach the second goal at 40 minutes. A transition led by Oskar Pietuszewski , who appeared isolated in front of Nicolás Otamendi , left the captain on the ground and made it 2-0.

In the second half, Benfica , chasing the result, scored at 69 minutes. A counterattack with Dodi Lukebakio from the right, shooting at Diogo Costa's goalpost, but on the rebound, Andreas Schjelderup did not forgive. Trailing by one, the eagles pressed in search of the equalizer, which came at 88 minutes. Franjo Ivanovic crossed to the heart of the penalty area, where Leandro Barreiro appeared to finish for 2-2.

With this draw – the ninth in 46 matches this season – José Mourinho's team has 59 points and remains in third place in the Liga Portugal Betclic standings. Porto (68) is in first place. Sporting is second with 62.

The red emblem will return to the field next Saturday, March 14, against Arouca. The match, for the 26th round of the Liga Portugal , against the team led by Vasco Sebara, will be played at 8:30 PM, at the opponent's ground.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇵🇹 here.