LUCAS LEIVA DEFINES CONTENTMENT

Lucas Leiva the quiet Samba Boywho came all the way from Brazil to England in search of the greener pastures of professional football does pass for a Wily Ol’ English man.


Foreigner players are never really the ones that settle for a decade in one establishment, in one city. Except they are Lucas Leiva.

The 30-year old at the end of the just concluded season announced that he was ready to call it quits at Merseyside. A glance across the longevity list of the Koppiteswill reveal his name among the top 50.

Leiva’s name an obvious exception will stand tall among such row call and that was made possible because of his content nature. Making thelittle passes to keeping theshape of the team together, screening the center backs from danger to the best of his ability while reveling in the act of timely tackles was the Brazilian’s main fort throughout his stay and he kind of rolled along with it for ten years

Yeah, I know it is beginning to sound like some weird adulation of a player that got praises that maybe were just enough for him and whatever he contributed to the beautiful game. (more…)

Benfica win Portugal Championship

Benfica has clinched their fourth consecutive league title by beating Vitoria Guimaraes 5-0.


This is a deserved win for Benfica who was sensational during the whole match.

The Benfica coach said that he is satisfied with the result and this is the proof that they deserved to be Champions. He said that the league has not been easy at all, but they feel that they have been consistent throughout the season.

The coach said that the players deserve the title for their good performance during the campaign and he feels that there is still more to come from the team. He said that the objective would be the same next season as they would want to retain the title.

He admitted however that things would not be easy next season. He said that the other big teams would be strengthening during the summer and they will be more difficult to beat. He said that the club has already identified some players that they might sign during the transfer window. (more…)

REAL MADRID EDGE NAPOLI 3-1 AT BERNABEU

La Liga side Real Madrid edged out Serie A giant Napoli 3-1 in the first leg of the UEF A Champions League at the Santiago Bernabeu on Wednesday.


The result was one that was expected, considering Real’s huge stats at home. The European champions have now won 34 Champions League games out of 39 at home.

Napoli started on a good note as Lorenzo Insigne caught keeper Keylor Navas off his line. Skipper Marek Hamsik broke through the Madrid set-up before laying the pass unto Insigne. He curled the ball from 35 yards out, placing it in a tight angle. The attempt on target eventually became the only one for the visitors throughout the first half of the game.

Real responded eleven minutes later as Dani Carvajal sent a nice cross that Karim Benzema headed. Unselfish Cristiano Ronaldo did all the hard work, beating a defender before moving closer to the box. he did a pullback for Toni Kroos to whip in early in the second half. The goal rattled the guests who were hoping to force a draw. Casemiro sealed the victory for Madrid in the 54th minute with a stunning volley. (more…)

Fernando Santos Says Portugal Often Make Things Difficult

Portugal coach Fernando Santos says that the national team can be accused of making things difficult for themselves.


His comments came after the 4-1 win over Latvia – a score that could have been completely different had it not been for the goals from substitute Ricardo Quaresma. Real Madrid superstar Cristiano Ronaldo came up with a penalty after just 28 minutes. It provided the opening goal which was expected to open the floodgates. However, Portugal relaxed quite drastically after this goal and the Latvia were able to take advantage in the second half throughZjuzins.

The goal in the 67th minute put the cat among the pigeons and provided a major scare for Portugal. Since it was not a friendly match and Portugal needed to win this World Cup qualifying game in order to stay in touch with Switzerland. After opening the campaign with a loss against the Swiss, Portugal have managed to win the last two games. (more…)

Rui Vitoria: ‘’We have 3 more finals ahead’’

Benfica has recently claimed a 2-0 triumph over Dynamo Kyiv in their first group stages match of the Champions League and this result has positioned the Portuguese club at the 3rd spot of Group B with 4 points collected from the 3 matches that they have played so far.


This victory that Benfica secured over Dynamo Kyiv is incredibly important for them as it’s their first match in the group stages of the Champions League and Benfica will have to start collecting more points in order to climb a few spots of their group.

There are 3 more Champions League encounters left and in order for Benfica to have any real chance of qualifying into the next rounds of the European competition and this is what they are aiming to accomplish.

The upcoming opponents that Benfica will have to face off with in the Champions League are: Dynamo Kyiv but this time on their home turf at the Estadio da Luz in Portugal, Besiktas and Napoli.

Rui Vitoria is the manager of Benfica and even though he is happy about the recent Champions League triumph over Dynamo Kyiv, the 46 year old Portuguese manager knows that there still are 3 more games left and they will need to get positive results in all of these approaching matches. (more…)

BENFICA TO GET NEW STRIKER THIS SUMMER

Benfica is set to get a new striker after Dutch international Bas Dost revealed his intention to leave VfL Wolfsburg to join Portuguese giant Benfica.


He make his intentions known as his spot in the squad is under threat with the move of German Mario Gomez.

The transfer window is poised to close on Wednesday, yet Dost insists he can force his move away from the club. He is keen on playing in Portugal, with the deal set to take at least €10 million.

“I am assuming that it will come off,” Dost said after his assists in the 2-0 win at Augsburg. Gomez is set to return to training soon as he picked up a hamstring injury whilst in action for Germany at the Euro 2016 tournament. Gomez decided to quit Turkey after his stellar record last term due to the political unrest in Turkey. He is the top scorer with 132 goals in 197 games for Bayern Munich and Stuttgart since 2006. His arrival forced Dost to look for alternatives.
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BENFICA SIGN GUILLERMO CELIS

Portuguese giant Benfica have confirmed reports that they signed Guillermo Celis on a five-year deal.


The club got the Columbian international from Junior FC, according to reports. The player is 23 years old and was a part of the national team that placed third at the recently concluded Copa America in the United States.

Benfica signed the player from Columbian side Deportivo Junior SA but the reports didn’t the transfer fee. The club has had enjoyed decent transfer deal success with the most recent being Renato Sanchez. The club signed the youngster for just 750 Euros and 20 footballs a few years ago. The player developed from the youth team before breaking into the first team. He was eventually sold to German giant Bayern Munich for 35 million Euros. The transfer fee for Celis is believed isn’t very expensive as well. An excited Celis told reporters:

“It’s a great day, a very important day for me and I am very happy to be here. I want to work in the best way and give my best to win a place in the team and win titles.”
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