Braga vs Benfica: Taça de Portugal Semi-Final Result

RESUMO BTV

O Benfica visited the Amélia Morais Stadium this Wednesday, February 4, to face SC Braga in the 1st leg of the Portuguese Cup semi-finals. The Eagles won, 0-1.

There were still those who were not seated in the stands and Benfica celebrated in Minho.

Huge play by Catarina Amado on the right sidewhich, with a disconcerting movement, took an opponent from the front, got inside the area, where Caroline Møller was to head Patrícia Morais without any chance of defense! Great goal from Inspiradoras to open the match (0-1, 2′).

With a very lively start to the game, at 12′ it was scored a penalty in favor of SC Bragato punish lack of Catarina Amado about Carolina Rocha.

Malu Schmidt was responsible for taking the penalty and… Lena Pauels saved it! The German goalkeeper hit the side to which the player from Braga shot (left) and denied the equalizer (14′).

In a very competitive game in midfield, with both teams trying to design offensives towards the opposing goalsat 26′, Benfica was very close to making it 0-2. Launched by Catarina Amado, Lúcia Alves received the ball on the left of the area, prepared the shot and shot in an arc for a great save by Patrícia Morais.

The duel continued to be divided, but no great opportunities for danger. So, at halftime, the Inspiradoras were ahead (0-1)thanks to Caroline Møller’s goal.

Unlike the high-tempo match that took place in the first 45 minutes, the complementary stage was totally different.

To the advantage, the eagles controlled every moment of the gameinstalled themselves in the Arsenal midfield, and, although they did not cause a very dangerous situation, they also did not allow any pretense to their opponents.

With the very compact Inspiradoras to defend, maintaining SC Braga sent to its coretime passed and the duel ended with the red victory by 0-1. The team led by Ivan Baptista is therefore ahead of this tie.

A 2nd leg of the semi-final of the Portuguese Cup will be played at Benfica Campus, on the day March 18, at 3:00 p.m..

As for BPI League concerns, in this Sunday, February 8th, at 5:30 pmthe eagles once again face a Minho emblem, this time, the Vitória SCat Benfica Campus, in defiance of 11th round of the competition.

DECLARATIONS

Ivan Baptista (Benfica coach): “The face of those who win is never the face of those who lose, inevitably. Still, with our feet firmly on the ground, we know that there are 90 minutes left, and, certainly, SC Braga will not go to the Benfica Campus to spend those 90 minutes waiting for the game to end. They will try to turn things around. We are fully aware that it will be a tough battle as well. At this moment, we are no longer focusing on the Portuguese Cup. Today’s game is over. Fortunately for us, we achieved a small step, which We also really wanted to: leave here with an advantage. I think it was a split game. To be honest, SC Braga could have also come out of here with a different result. First half, above all, with a lot of opportunities, from both sides. In the first 20/25 minutes, we also had great success in defending the penalty, and a different 2nd half, I think a more closed 2nd half. We got the pressure right, we got the defensive organization right, because SC Braga had created a lot of problems for us at the end of the 1st half. I think the 2nd half was, above all, a 2nd half of control. I’m going through this tie, but what’s next will be very dangerous.”

Cristina Prieto (Benfica forward): “[É um resultado positivo?] Yes, but in the end, it’s two hands. We have the advantage, but everything will be decided when we return. [Já se defrontaram 3 vezes nesta época, vão para a 4.ª. Começa a ser difícil surpreender o adversário?] Yes, we get to know each other more, they analyze us, so do we, and, in the end, it’s always complicated. It’s a great club, it works very well, and if we face each other two or three times, it’s more difficult to do things.”