Ssovereign in the national league, sovereign in the Champions League: Coach Roger Schmidt has reached the quarter-finals of the European premier class with the Portuguese record champions Benfica Lisbon after a shooting match.
The leaders of the Primeira Liga, who are heading towards their first title since 2019, convincingly defeated the ailing Belgian champions FC Brugge 5-1 (1-0) in the second leg of the round of 16. Benfica had already won the first leg 2-0.
Rafa Silva (38′), Goncalo Ramos (45’+2/57′), who had scored three times for Portugal in the World Cup round of 16 against Switzerland (6-1), and the strong Joao Mario scored the goals for the friendly hosts (71′, penalty kick) and David Neres (78′). Björn Meijer (87th) scored late for Brugge. Benfica, opponents of Bayer Leverkusen in the group stage, had already reached the round of eight last year. There, the two-time national champion lost to eventual finalists Liverpool FC.
Things could have been far worse for Brugge, currently fourth in the domestic league. However, a hoe hit by Joao Mario after 76 seconds was disallowed for offside. In addition, Meijer hit a volley from the 30-year-old offensive player just off the line (20′).
