After four defeats (one of them responsible for the signing of José Mourinho), Benfica achieved their first victory in the Champions League on the fifth round. It was this Tuesday, November 25th, at the Johan Cruyff Arena, in Amsterdam, against an Ajax in crisis, with goals from Dahl and Leandro Barreiro (2-0).
The duel pitted two historic teams face to face in unusual places at the bottom of the European table. Benfica and Ajax were the only two teams among the 36 in the Champions League without any points, with the Portuguese team adding three points and leaving the Dutch alone in that condition.
To secure the first points in the Champions League, José Mourinho’s strategy was to abandon the three-central scheme used in the Portuguese Cup, against the modest Atlético, and return to the four defenders, with Trubin, Dahl, Richard Ríos, Leandro Barreiro and Sudakov in the starting eleven. Benfica started the game better and scored very early. In the 6th minute, following a set piece, Ríos headed for an excellent save by Jaros… and on the rebound, right in front of the penalty area, Dahl shot first time towards Benfica’s goal.
In the 33rd minute, Davy Klaassen broke through behind the Reds’ defense, but Trubin was alert and knocked the ball away. Weghorst still tried to reload, but Otamendi appeared in the path of the ball. The Ukrainian goalkeeper avoided a draw at a time when Ajax, coached by interim Fred Grim, was growing in the game.
Mica Godts even tried a shot for a high artistic rating, but the arched shot, after a double dribble past two Benfica players, flew over Trubin’s goal and sent the game to halftime without causing any damage to the scoreboard.
Mourinho rushed to the dressing room before the referee even called the first half over. The coach’s rush meant mission accomplished at halftime. Benfica scored and held on to the advantage in a balanced first half with few shots on goal (one from Ajax and two from Benfica). For the second half the objective would be the same (and it was), but it wouldn’t hurt the world if they did it with more ball possession and more flashy football.
Strategy was: wait for the opponent’s mistake
Rayane Bounida returned from the break and with a lot of desire to build an offensive game capable of hurting the Eagles. Tactically better, the Dutch circulated the ball better and gained meters on the field of play, placing Benfica well behind, taking the ball to the Reds’ area. THEAfter 52 minutes, the Ajax captain couldn’t believe what he had just wasted. After an excellent combined play, Davy Klaassen escaped unmarked between Otamendi and António Silva and got in Trubin’s face, but hit the ball badly and saw it go out the end line.
This way of playing by the Dutch highlighted a certain Benfica ineffectiveness, as if the strategy (cold and calculating, very Mourinho-like) involved waiting for the opponent’s error to reach 2-0. It was risky, but if it went well (and it did, as Leandro Barreiro scored Benfica’s second goal in the 90th minute), it would be possible to add the first three points in the Champions League and start to accumulate points for the nine that, according to Mourinho’s calculations, could be enough to guarantee the Champions League playoff.
There are now six more points and three games left before the league phase ends. And the next meeting is with Naples, on December 10th, days after the derby, with Sporting, for the I League.
isaura.almeida@dn.pt