Benfica went to Switzerland as favourites and lost 2-1 to St. Gallen — now it gets tricky
Benfica opened their European season on the wrong foot, losing 2-1 away at St. Gallen in the Europa League qualifying first leg. The tie is decided on 30 July in Lisbon.
This wasn’t in the script. Benfica walked into Switzerland as heavy favourites and walked out with a 2-1 defeat in the first leg of the Europa League second qualifying round. It was the Lisbon club’s first competitive game of the season, the opening night of Marco Silva’s tenure — and it could hardly have started in a more awkward way.
St. Gallen, the Swiss runners-up, went ahead through Balde in the 37th minute. Rafa levelled just before half-time, on 44, and for a moment the pecking order looked set to reassert itself. But the Swiss hadn’t read the script: Gaal made it 2-1 with ten minutes left and saw the result out to the final whistle.
Where does the tie stand now?
It’s still alive, but Benfica now have to turn it around at home. A one-goal deficit is recoverable — 2-1 forces the Portuguese to win by two, or take it to extra time, without the cushion an away draw would have given them. The psychological edge, for now, sits firmly with the hosts.
When is the Benfica-St. Gallen second leg?
The decider is next Thursday, 30 July, at the Estádio da Luz in Lisbon. Whoever wins moves on down the long qualifying road to the league phase. Everyone knew Europe was starting early for Benfica — nobody expected it to start hurting this fast.
For now, the usual warning stands: July ties, with sides still tuning up in pre-season, punish any lapse. The official match sheet is on the UEFA site.
By Vasco Almada
Image: EtschPat / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
