LISBON (REUTERS) - Benfica's 19-year-old forward Joao Felix became the youngest player to score a Europa League hat-trick as he led them to a 4-2 win over 10-man Eintracht Frankfurt in their quarter-final first leg on Thursday (April 11).
The Bundesliga side, who played with 10 men for almost an hour, were in danger of being blown away when Benfica went 4-1 up just after halftime but a second goal by substitute Goncalo Paciencia left the tie more finely balanced for the return.
Benfica coach Bruno Lage warned against getting carried away with the performance of Joao Fenix, who only made his first-team debut this season.
"If he hadn't scored tonight, everyone would have said he is off-form, but because he scored three, they say he is flying," said Lage.
"Let's take it easy, let him develop and enjoy himself. He has to go out and enjoy himself and that is what he has done. One day he will score three goals, the other he won't score any. He has to develop naturally."
Eintracht forward Luka Jovic, on loan from Benfica, missed two early chances as the Bundesliga side made a bright start before the game took a dramatic twist.
Joao Felix threaded a ball through the Eintracht defence to send Gedson Fernandes clear and he was pushed over from behind by Evan N'Dicka.
The referee judged that Fernandes had been denied a clear scoring chance, N'Dicka was sent off and Joao Felix calmly converted the penalty in the 21st minute.
Jovic equalised against his parent club in the 40th minute after Benfica were caught in possession but Joao Felix put the hosts back in front three minutes later with a low strike from 20 metres which caught keeper Kevin Trapp off guard.
Ruben Dias headed a third for Benfica after a corner was knocked on in the 50th minute and Joao Felix sidefooted the fourth four minutes later as the Eagles threatened to run riot.
Eintracht were not finished, however, and substitute Paciencia, raised at Benfica's arch-rivals Porto, put them back in the tie with a looping header from a corner in the 72nd.
"It feels like every shot they had went in despite me getting something on most of them," said Trapp.
"It's not a great feeling for a keeper because you're the one that has the responsibility to come to your team's rescue.
"We could have let our heads drop at 4-1, but we persevered and hopefully a 4-2 loss will be enough come the end of the second leg."
The £9.5m compensation payout that could be awarded to Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho in the event of his dismissal would be no deterrent to owner Roman Abramovich, if the club's history with
Davinson Sanchez is confident Tottenham's squad is strong enough to mount a Premier League title challenge despite injuries to Harry Kane and Dele Alli. Three successive wins have lifted Spurs to within five points of leader Liverpool after 25 matches, putting it firmly in the title picture alongside Manchester City.
Sanchez: Spurs squad can cope in absence of Kane and Alli
BURNLEY 2 WOLVERHAMPTON WANDERERS 0 Burnley boost survival hopes with 2-0 win over Wolves. 3 Min Read BURNLEY 2 WOLVERHAMPTON WANDERERS 0 . Soccer Football - Premier League - Burnley v
Burnley boost survival hopes with 2-0 win over Wolves
Japan cashed in on a defensive mix-up and a controversial penalty as they stunned favourites Iran 3-0 in the Asian Cup semi-finals to move one win away from their fifth title on Monday. Yuya Osako put Japan 1-0 up after half-time when the Iranian defence fatally stopped to remonstrate with the
'Emotional breakdown' as Japan stun imploding Iran at Asian
Football: Cardiff to pay Sala fee if necessary, Football News
Football: Ikhsan Fandi focused on task as he begins his
Football: FAS employee sacked over breach of financial protocols While there was no material loss suffered by the Football Association of Singapore, it terminated the employee's contract after
Financial Advisor IQ - After Huge Data Breaches, Republicans
Jimenez, Jota slay United as Wolves reach FA Cup semis Jota slay United as Wolves reach FA Cup semis Wolverhampton Wanderers v Manchester United Wolves then took the game to United after
Jimenez, Jota slay United as Wolves reach FA Cup semis
LONDON (DPA) - Pep Guardiola expects Kevin De Bruyne to miss this week's Manchester derby after the midfielder limped off with an injury on Saturday (April 20).. Read more at straitstimes.com.
Football: Guardiola expects De Bruyne to miss derby after
Madrid plans 'robust' security for all-English Champions League final May 31, 2019 MADRID (AFP) - Madrid will deploy an unprecedented number of police and security personnel for Sunday's all-English Champions League final, and use a drone for the first time to monitor fan activity.
Madrid plans 'robust' security for all-English Champions
Holding Out for the Best Framing Hammer Siding & Roofing Tool Reviews December 31, 2015 Thomas Gaige Arguably one of the oldest tools known to humanity is the hammer—the irony being that we are still trying to coming up with new ways to improve it.
Respect: Thor Odinson (Marvel, 616) : respectthreads
PSG take charge with 2-0 win at United, Pogba sent off Paul Pogba sent off late in the game. leg of the UEFA Champions League round of 16 football match between Manchester United and Paris
PSG take charge with 2-0 win at United, Pogba sent off
0 comments:
Post a Comment