Benfica returned to victories after an international break that interrupted the dynamics of the clubs for three weeks. Pressed to win after FC Porto and Sporting did the same, Marco Silva's eagles fulfilled, but without dazzle.
© Getty Images
12/10/2026
by
Dafter a long competitive break, Benfica was the last of the title candidates to take action on the 8th League Day. Sporting had won in Braga and FC Porto had started a victory with irons in Madeira, which forced the eagles to give a full answer on Sunday afternoon before Vitória SC. And that's what happened.
Far from signing the best show of the season, Benfica was competent enough to defeat visitors (2–0) without going through great chills.
The good entry in the match, played at the Stadium of Light, was translated into Samuel Dahl's first goal, which ended with great class, and in the second part was Sudakov, just left the bank, who scored and ended the doubts around the result.
Benfica thus fulfilled the goal of returning to victories, even because in the last round he had been defeated in the visit to FC Porto, which left the leadership at a distance of five points – disadvantage that was restored yesterday.
At the same time, the incarnates recovered second place, occupied, to the condition, by the rival in the previous 48 hours. The championship won't be back for 15 days – there's a Portuguese Cup qualifier next weekend – but there are players who deserve to be highlighted.
The figure
Another Benfica game, plus a high-level display Prestianni. The Argentinian is confident and that's what you notice every time you touch the ball. It was always the most dangerous unit of eagles, walking between the center and the left.
He participated in the bid that led to the second goal and was the center of the concerns of the defense of Vitória SC, which he managed little to stop the raids of Prestianni. She is the great figure of Benfica and is revealing a constancy that deserves all praise.
The surprise
Not being the most exuberant player, Samuel Dahl offers a reliability that pleases any coach. He was very successful with Mourinho and maintains the status with Marco Silva. The reasons are simple: it is competent to defend and does not complicate attack.
Yesterday he showed the usual level, but still managed to score a nice goal – the first one he scored at the Stadium of Light – that put Benfica in advantage. He was voted the best in the field by BTV, in all fairness, let's say.
Disillusion
Rafa Silva did not exactly pass by the game, but was clearly Benfica's least inspired unit, confirming the trend that has been verified in the past games. He even had a golden opportunity to open the marker at three minutes, but he shot the beam in an image that mirrors the rest of his performance.
The coaches
Marco Silva
Marco Silva was forced to move on the eleven, due to the suspension of Clément Lenglet, but made more moves, also betting on the entrance of Leandro Barreiro to the midfield. Despite returning from the competitive break, Benfica managed to show the usual strong entry in the game and in the second part Marco Silva knew how to adjust the team to not allow great adventures to the opponent.
James Margarido
Victoria's coach also moved the team and gave up a more virtuous player like Alanzinho, perhaps due to the need to try to match the physical dimension to midfield. Victory left a good replica in the Light, but it turned out to be too short to attack, being notorious that players had instructions to play straight at Arnel Jakupovic.
The referee
The afternoon wasn't too hard for Luis Godinho, but it is also fair to say that the referee did not complicate. Here and there it could have had a more uniform criterion, but it did not influence the normal flow of the game.