Leandro Barreiro scored twice at the Barreiros and Benfica finally kept a clean sheet
Barreiro struck on seven minutes and again on 71, Prestianni curled in a third on 82, and João Palhinha made his first start. Benfica ended Saturday on ten points with a game in hand on Porto.
Benfica won 3-0 at the Estádio dos Barreiros on Saturday afternoon and left Funchal with what they needed without ever looking comfortable. Marítimo’s own match report sums the day up neatly: the scoreline does not reflect the ninety minutes.
The first goal came on seven minutes. Gianluca Prestianni cut inside from the left and shot, Alfonso Pastor spilled it, and Leandro Barreiro pounced on the edge of the box to force it in.
Then Benfica went missing. Twenty-six minutes passed without a single shot. The pitch was poor, the game broke up, and half-time arrived with very little to report.
The second half changed hands twice
Marítimo came back sharper, pressing high and forcing Marco Silva’s side to go long. They pinned the visitors back without ever working the goalkeeper properly. On 61 minutes Andreas Schjelderup came on and the game turned again.
On 71, from a free-kick, the Norwegian crossed from the left, Vangelis Pavlidis headed it back across goal, and Barreiro attacked the far post for his second.
Then, on 82, came the moment of the afternoon. Prestianni robbed the ball deep in Marítimo’s half, drove infield, shrugged off a defender inside the box and bent a right-footed shot past Pastor.
Palhinha’s first start, and a clean sheet at last
João Palhinha started for the first time, in a squad that is now locked in for the season: the transfer window closed on Friday. It was also the first time this season Benfica have finished a match without conceding, in a game where the two goalkeepers made four saves between them.
Benfica ended Saturday on ten points with a game in hand on Porto, who lead outright and who in the previous round had taken all three points in Viseu with three goals in 38 minutes. Marítimo, back in the top flight and playing to a full house, stayed on seven.
By Vasco Almada
Image: Bjørn Christian Tørrissen / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)
