At the end of the 30th round of the I Liga, Benfica entered the field already knowing that Sporting was ten points away, but that did not stop them from stamping a new victory, this Monday, against Farense (1-3), at the Estádio de São Luís. It is true that the team from Luz reduced the disadvantage to seven points, however, the weight of the European elimination, against Olympique Marseille, did not prevent a strong protest from the Benfica fans present in Faro.

With five changes in relation to the 'quarter' game in the Europa League, the team led by Roger Schmidt even started better and took the lead in the 16th minute, through Kokçu, after the criticism he faced for demanding more minutes. The Turkish midfielder was still close to the double right after, until he saw the team suffer a hard setback.

About halfway through the first half, Belloumi took advantage of an insistence move to tie for Farense (23'), with a first-time shot that 'shot' Trubin's goal. However, contrary to other games, Benfica knew how to react, with tranquility, and ended up putting themselves back in front through Arthur Cabral (34'), in a goal that even had the right to... a heel. The Brazilian also shot at the post, Di María also tried his luck and the game went into the break with 1-2 on the scoreboard.

In the second half, practically at the first big opportunity, Álvaro Carreras made his debut (67') and 'en'Carr'iled Benfica in the Faro line, in a match in which the newcomer João Neves was only ten minutes on the field after suffering a blow in a clash of heads with Ponde, ending up being replaced by Aursnes.

Despite the 'blow' in the title, the eagle did not hesitate and remained seven points behind its rival, with only four more rounds to play, despite the awareness of the short possibilities of reaching the leadership. The lions of Faro are still fighting for maintenance, with three points above the waterline.

Let's go to the match notes:

Figure

Arthur Cabral returned to the starting lineup and, during the 84 minutes he was on the field, ended up standing out as one of the most unbalancing units of the match. The great goal he scored in the 34th minute, with a heel, shortly after the tie achieved by Farense, could not have come at a better time and, with difficulty, in a better way. In addition, the Brazilian forward also shot at the post, from outside the area, and even tried his luck with an acrobatic shot. Without a doubt, one of the most complete performances since he arrived at Luz.

Surprise

Álvaro Carreras was once again placed by Roger Schmidt as a starter, repeating what had happened against Moreirense, and even had the right to his debut scoring with the Benfica jersey. The defender loaned by Manchester United scored the match-winning goal (1-3), in the 67th minute, after other highlights in the team's defensive and offensive processes, especially in the first half. Carreras thus showed that the German coach can count on him on the left side of the incarnate defense.

Disappointment

Zé Luís entered José Mota's eleven to fill the place of the punished Bruno Duarte, but the truth is that he felt great difficulty in imposing himself in the Algarve attack, so much so that he only managed to make one shot, out of line with Trubin's goal, already in the final stretch of the first half. Nicolás Otamendi and António Silva took care of canceling out the virtues of Farense's forward and it was not surprising that he was substituted (after facing a start of the game with complaints) in the 55th minute, to make way for Rui Costa.

Coaches

José Mota changed two pieces in relation to the eleven presented against Vitória SC (1-1), by replacing Facundo Cáseres and Bruno Duarte with Fabrício Isidoro and Zé Luís, respectively, trying, as far as possible, to play eye to eye against Benfica. Similar to what happened in other matches against the 'big ones', the Algarve team showed personality when it came to aiming at the opposite goal, but ended up being inferior. The substitutions throughout the second half did not have the desired effects and Farense still saw the disadvantage increase.

Roger Schmidt once again 'rotated' the team, precisely as happened between the national and European matches, having bet on the entries of Carreras, Kokçu, João Mário, Tiago Gouveia, and Arthur Cabral. The eagles were not shaken by Farense's tie, despite the negative context they have faced, something that immediately allowed them to ward off 'ghosts' of the past. The entries of João Neves and David Neres preceded Carreras' decisive goal and Benfica sealed three more points without much difficulty.

Referee

Gustavo Correia starred in a safe refereeing with no controversial cases. Safe when it came to whistling fouls and coherent when it came to pulling cards out of his pocket, the 32-year-old referee was free from criticism and showed that he is fit to referee major matches in the Portuguese championship.

Also Read: Benfica en'Carr'illa na linha de Faro e (ainda) persegue líder Sporting (Portuguese version)