Europa League - Quarter Final First Leg
Estadio Da Luz, Lisbon
7th April 2011
Benfica 4 PSV 1
Benfica turned back the clock with a classy and dominant European performance that brought back memories of the great Eusebio inspired 1960’s teams that contested five European Finals, winning two of them.
The days of European and domestic domination have thinned out somewhat but Benfica still remain a force and no team felt that more than PSV tonight. PSV had every reason to be optimistic this evening as their current form, only one defeat in the past 4 months, will testify.
Fears of a replay of the European Cup Final in 1988, which a Guss Hiddink led PSV won six-five on penalties after a dire goalless 120 minutes, evaporated as Benfica made a blistering start to the game and controlled the early passages of play. The first opening fell to Argentine forward Javier Saviola who hit the post after six minutes with a shot on the turn from 12 yards out. Saviola was again the centre of attention when his delicate chip had the Swedish No.1 Andreas Isaksson scrambling across his goal only for the ball to fall wide of his left-hand post.
If PSV believed they had weathered the early storm they were wrong as the pace and dominant possession of Benfica’s play continued. Fabio Coentrao and Pablo Aimar were lively and only a lack of composure from Oscar Cordozo and a glaring miss from three yards from the head of Saviola prevented Benfica from reward to show for their efforts at the half hour mark. PSV managed to cause a mild panic in the home defence as a whipped cross from the Dzsudzsak was nearly converted by a stooping Berg but his header flew agonisingly wide from four yards out.
The breakthrough that the near-capacity crowd at the Estadio Da Luz craved was provided by Aimar after 36 minutes after great work on the left side from Coentrao who played in Gaitan with a wonderful through ball and his cross was deflected into the path of the oncoming Aimar who side-footed the ball between the legs of Isaksson.
More pressure on the PSV goal followed with the puppet-master Aimar pulling the strings. His clever backheel in the middle of the park came to nothing in the end but displayed the confidence that this Benfica team had flowing through their veins. Eduardo Salvio soon doubled the Eagles lead after Coentrao again produced excellent work on the left sliding the ball across to diminutive Argentine whose deft backheel flick flew over the head of a horizontal Isaksson.
Salvio & Coentrao celebrate
Salvio & Coentrao celebrate
It took only 6 minutes of the second half for Benfica to put this game to rest. Salvio broke the hearts of the travelling PSV fans again, this time with a superb solo effort. Weaving his way into the box and evading two challenges before rifling the ball beyond Isaksson’s reach into the corner of the goal.
Three nil down and with 40 minutes still to play the frustration in PSV started to show as captain Orlando Engelaar picked up a booking that rules him out of the return leg. Other PSV players must have felt like joining him as Benfica continued to pile on the pressure. When the Dutch side did manage to get out of their own half it was only to place the ball gently into Spanish keeper Roberto’s grateful hands.
Isaksson continued to be the busier of the keepers and was forced into good save from Cardozo whose edge-of-the-box shot was tipped around the post.
Defender Erik Pieters eventually joined Engelaar in the Italian referee’s book for a crude foul on the returning Maxi Pereira, whose long throws had added further pressure on the PSV defence all game. PSV coach had seen enough and made the first of two changes after 71 minutes when he pulled out Pieters and replaced him with the young central midfielder Belgian Stijn Wuytens, nephew of FC Utrecht defender Jan Wuytens. Benfica responded with interest after 77 minutes and took off the quietly effective Nicolas Gaitan and the brilliant Pablo Aimar and brought on Argentine international striker Franco Jara and the left-sided wingback Cesar Peixoto.
Desperate for a something to take back to the Philips Stadion coach Rutten removed the on-loan Marcus Berg and replaced him with 18 year old Moroccan midfield prospect Zakaria Labyad. His impact was immediate as Roberto failed to hold onto a cross which Labyad gratefully tapped into an unguarded net.
Any flame of hope of a remarkable comeback for the Red White Army was extinguished with the final kick of the game as Saviola got the reward for his display and netted following a cross from the ever attacking Pereira. His cross was met by the Argentine who, reminiscent of his sixth minute chance, turned in the box and let a powerful drive crash into the roof of the net.
Donnie Kemp
.....and we're off!!
ReplyDelete