Barcelona continued their imperious form this season as they retained top spot in UEFA Champions League Group G with a 2-0 victory away to SL Benfica.
Alexis Sanchez struck after six minutes and Cesc Fabregas added a second following the break to leave Barca with a 100 percent record from their opening two games.
Sergio Busquets was sent off with two minutes to go after a clash with Maxi Pereira.
Photo: AFP
Tito Vilanova arrived at the Camp Nou over the summer looking to win back the Champions League, which they have lifted twice out of the last four years, and the domestic league title, and despite the pressure of replacing Pep Guardiola he could hardly have made a better start.
Now Vilanova’s men turn their attention to the small matter of El Clasico on Sunday against Real Madrid — but they will be without Carles Puyol, who dislocated an elbow after falling heavily on his arm.
“It was a costly victory for us, but we are happy with the result against Benfica, who are a strong side. It was a nasty injury [for Puyol] and he has already had one this season, so this isn’t very normal,” Vilanova said. “We have had a lot of problems at the back and it would be nice to play El Clasico with a full squad, but we are playing well at the moment and have five days to recover.”
Benfica coach Jorge Jesus had only words of praise for his players.
“We weren’t lacking in any area. We were against the side who in my opinion is the best in the world and in any game they have about 70 percent possession. We were excellent in the first half and didn’t deserve to go in losing,” he said. “At 2-0 Barca consolidated, defended the result and made it difficult to come back at them.”
The main news for Barcelona before kickoff had been that Puyol was returning from injury to lead the team from the back, while Andres Iniesta was fit for a place on the bench.
Benfica, seeking their first victory against a Spanish side since the 1982-1983 season, were missing defender Luisao and striker Oscar Cardoza, while playmaker Pablo Aimar, who had overcome a strain, was left out of the starting 11 as Jesus sought a more mobile midfield.
The home side began at a blistering pace with a well-worked move seeing Bruno Cesar cracking a left-foot shot from the edge of the area that was too central and goalkeeper Victor Valdes parried, but Benfica found themselves behind after Barcelona’s first attack of the match. With Pereira pressing forward from rightback, Leo Messi found space on the left of the area and crossed for Sanchez to slide the ball home and end a barren spell which had seen him not hit the back of the net since April.
Benfica quickly returned to the offensive and Puyol and Javier Mascherano were being run ragged as they received little protection from their midfield. Rodrigo Lima burst through and Valdes saved well with his feet and then after 16 minutes Osvaldo Gaitan volleyed over the bar.
As the first half progressed, Barca began to find their composure and assert themselves on the midfield, although the Portuguese continued to bite at their heels.
In a reverse of the first goal, Sanchez on the left of the area found Messi, who forced a fine save from goalkeeper Artur Moraes, before Sanchez fired over.
Benfica were using the strategy of harrying Barca’s midfielders, which was used with some success by Chelsea and Real Madrid last season, but almost every time the visitors did break they went close to scoring.
A Sanchez effort was blocked by Artur and then on the point of halftime a Pedro Rodriguez cross was just too long for Messi.
Benfica then brought the more attack-minded Carlos Martins into midfield, but Barca started to dominate in the second half and got their second goal through an in-form Fabregas. He latched onto a Messi pass and finished clinically on his left foot past Artur.
Benfica went close with headers from Jardel Vieira and Nemanja Matic, but Barca were in control and the only stains on their evening were the injury for Puyol and Busquets’ harsh expulsion late on when he seemed to make little contact with Pereira when they jumped for a ball.
HOMETOWN ZERO: Fans relished the fall of former Brewer-turned-Cubs manager Craig Counsell, as Milwaukee braces to face the Dodgers, who in 2018 denied them a pennant Milwaukee Brewers manager Pat Murphy has referred to his team as the “Average Joes,” a nod to their small-market status and lack of big names, but after they beat rivals the Chicago Cubs 3-1 in the decisive fifth game of their National League Division Series (NLDS) on Saturday night, Murphy decided it was time for an upgrade. “You can call them the average Joes, but I say they’re the above-average Joes,” he said. The Brewers relied on contributions from just about every player to get past the Cubs. Andrew Vaughn hit a tiebreaking homer in the fourth inning, and William Contreras and Brice
The Ministry of Sports on Wednesday night called for the Chinese Taipei Football Association (CTFA) to address issues in Taiwanese soccer after national manager Huang Che-ming on Tuesday resigned following Taiwan’s elimination in AFC Asian Cup qualifiers. Taiwan on Tuesday were thrashed 6-1 by Thailand in their Group D tie at Taipei Municipal Stadium. Taiwan finished with no points, after losing all four of their matches, eliminating them from qualifying for the 2027 AFC Asian Cup. Huang made his surprise resignation at a post-match news conference, following three losses since he took over the team from English coach Gary White in August. Huang
Mexico’s teenage playmaker Gilberto Mora has lit up the FIFA U-20 World Cup in Chile as he basks in the limelight afforded by the absences of Barcelona and Real Madrid stars Lamine Yamal and Franco Mastantuono. “I don’t know if I’m the biggest star, and I’m not really interested in that. I think you can always give more,” 16-year-old Mora said before Mexico’s 4-1 win against host nation Chile in the round-of-16 on Tuesday, in which he provided the assist for the opening goal. Next on Mora’s schedule is a quarter-final clash against Argentina this morning Taiwan time, but after
It might not have been Xander Schauffele’s most prestigious tournament victory, but it should be the American’s most memorable. Schauffele yesterday shot a seven-under 64 to win the Baycurrent Classic in Japan — a country where his Taiwan-born mother grew up and where he has many connections. Schauffele, who shot 19-under 265 over four rounds at the Yokohama Country Club, finished one shot ahead of American Max Greyserman, who was also the runner-up at the event a year earlier as he chases his first PGA Tour title. When she was four years old, Schauffele’s mother, Chen Ping-yi, moved to Japan, where her Taiwanese