Benfica manager RuiVitória is proud of his team after they win their game against Porto by 1-0. The match leaves Benfica at the top of the table with 17 points. He said that it was important to win this game to show to the rest of the league that they are a serious contender for the title.
Benfica has clinched their fourth consecutive league title by beating Vitoria Guimaraes 5-0.
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…)
Portugal coach Fernando Santos says that the national team can be accused of making things difficult for themselves.
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…)
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.
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 is set to get a new striker after Dutch international Bas Dost revealed his intention to leave VfL Wolfsburg to join Portuguese giant Benfica.
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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There are reports making the rounds that Sheffield Wednesday is set to make a bid for Benfica forward Nelson Oliveira.
Oliveira scored nine goals for the City Ground in the past season but the club is ready to listen to offers for the player. He joined Benfica back in 2010 but he has only started two games for the club. He is likely to leave the club this summer but Sheffield Wednesday hope to snap him up. There have been reports linking Sheffield Wednesday to a number of Portuguese players in the last few weeks.
Sporting Lisbon player Ryan Gauld is one, then there’s Monaco forward Ivan Cavaleiro. Cavaleiro has been linked with a move to Hillsborough as the club desperately needs another striker this summer. Initially, it seems getting Fulham’s Ross McCormack was a done deal but the transfer fee has been an issue.
Steven Fletcher has already agreed to a four-year deal following his release from Premier League side Sunderland but Sheffield want another good striker.
The Owls will even be meeting Benfica in a pre season fixture on Wednesday 20 July. Sheffield Wednesday will host the Portuguese Champions at Hillsborough after playing some local preparation games from July 4th. After the game with the Portuguese, Sheffield Wednesday would fly out to trade tackles with Primeira Liga team Nacional on Sunday 24 July at the Esadio Albufeira Municipal. (more…)
Portuguese champions, Benfica, have eliminated Sporting Braga from Taça da Liga after a 2-1 victory on Monday.
Egypt International Ahmed Hassan ‘Koka’ played the full 90 minutes, as Sporting Braga’s dreams were crushed at Luz Stadium in Lisbon.
Just two minutes to the one-hour mark, Jonas drew level for Benfica. Twenty minutes to full time, Raul Jimenez completed Benfica’s comeback as he added the second for his side making it 2-1. Braga failed to alter the scoreline as the game ended in Benfica’s favour. Koka’s side had qualified to the semi-final after topping Group D on 7 points, while Benfica had secured their spot after collecting the maximum 9 points in Group B. (more…)