In a commitment valid for the last round of the Portuguese Championship, Benfica entered the field this Saturday depending only on itself to lift the competition cup for the 38th time. The Lisbon team did not disappoint its fans at Estádio da Luz and beat Santa Clara 3-0, with goals from Gonçalo Guedes, Rafa Silva and Grimaldo.
The result made the Benfica reached 87 points and could not be reached by Porto, in second place. The team was two points behind the leaders and, in addition to winning, had to hope that the rivals stumbled in order to win the title.
🔥 IT’S DONE!!!!!! Victory to the CHAMPION!!!! 🦅#EuAmoOBenfica • #LigaPortugal • #Emirates pic.twitter.com/sCaJBJS3Ik
— SL Benfica (@SLBenfica) May 27, 2023
Even with the 3-0 victory over Vitória de Guimarães, Porto remained at 85 points and saw Benfica celebrate the victory at home. The champions led comfortably for most of the championship, but lost steam in the final stretch and let the runner-up pull over.
This was the 38th Portuguese Championship title for Benfica, who had not lifted the trophy since the 2018/19 season. The team is the most champion of the tournament, followed by Porto, with 30 achievements, and by Sporting, with 19.
The game
The fans’ celebration began before the start of the match and got even bigger seven minutes into the first half. After Bah’s cross, Gonçalo Ramos appeared free in the middle of the defenders to test the ball and open the scoring for the home team.
Benfica’s lead got even bigger at 28, thanks to Rafa Silva. On the counterattack, the striker countered with João Mário and had a deflection on the Santa Clara defender in order to score the second at Estádio da Luz.
In the second stage, the home team scored again in the 15th minute, when the referee awarded a penalty after a hand touch in the visitors’ area. In the penalty kick, goalkeeper Gabriel Batista even touched the ball, but Grimaldo’s kick was strong and ended up in the back of the net.
Check all the results of the last round of the Portuguese Championship:
Rio Ave 2 x 2 Famalicao
Vizela 1 x 2 Sporting
Gil Vicente 1 x 0 Casa Pia
Keys 1 x 4 Boavista
Estoril 3 x 1 Maritime
Benfica 3 x 0 Santa Clara
Porto 3 x 0 Vitória de Guimaraes
Portimonense 0 x 2 Arouca
Source: Gazetaesportiva
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