Benfica booked their place in the round of 16 of the Taça de Portugal on Friday night, but it was far from easy.

From the starting XI that Jorge Jesus selected, eight didn’t participate in an international match, as was expected. With that, he was able to find a decent mix without destroying fluidity.

Gedson’s start surprised many, while others were equally surprised that Seferovic wasn’t on the pitch at kickoff. 

After a long international break, it’s not surprising the game got off to a slow start. Despite the players still training together, the intensity levels are significantly different.

It wasn’t until around the 15th minute or so that the game started to open up.

Benfica started to impose themselves in the Paços de Ferreira half, eventually creating various opportunities to take the lead. Going into the break with a goalless draw and a few missed clear goal-scoring opportunities brought back recent negative memories. 

Those negative memories confirmed themselves when the visitors benefited from an incomplete clearance from Vertonghen, taking a 0-1 lead early in the second half. We all collectively asked ourselves, is this going to be another Portimonense ending? 

Thankfully, the outcome was significantly different.

Benfica didn’t deserve to be trailing in the match, and their response to Nuno Santos’ goal confirmed their superiority. 

It took five substitutions and a few tactical changes, but ultimately, the outcome was what we all expected.

POSITIVE VIBES ONLY

Naturally, it’s always easier to find positives after a victory. While one is obvious but worthy, the other is one that may go unnoticed for various reasons.

✅ Seferovic | After a long absence due to injury, the Swiss international didn’t take long to make his mark. He replaced Darwin Nunez in the 74th minute, and in the 82nd, he was on the end of a perfectly weighted cross from Adel Taarabt.

Jorge Jesus mentioned in his post-match press conference that Sef was only capable of 20 or 30 minutes. Fortunately, he only needed 15 plus stoppage to make an impact.

As I mentioned in my match preview, he offers different characteristics than some of his colleagues. While Gonçalo Ramos and Darwin Nunez are two mobile players, who can work both sides of the ball and find space, Seferovic and Yaremchuk are more influential in and around the box.

That was apparent Friday evening as Sef created all sorts of issues for the Paços defense, with a goal and an assist to Everton’s goal.

Having him back and healthy adds another element to the attacking options and adds another layer of urgency for those around him to not waste their opportunities. Sef is ready to get into the starting XI, so the competition among the strikers should start to heat up.

✅ Substitutions | On numerous occasions, we’ve all criticized some of the substitutions Jorge Jesus has made. From not understanding his plan to the changes not having an impact, it’s a topic we’ve discussed on more than one occasion.

On Friday, how his changes made a difference will likely go unnoticed because Benfica managed a positive result.

Brining on Lazaro was forced due to Radonjic’s injury, but shortly after falling behind 0-1, he started to get creative.

At the same time, Taarabt replaced Gedson, creating a midfield three. He took Andre Almeida off to bring on Pizzi, essentially going to a back four. That allowed Pizzi to play further up the pitch with Taarabt and Weigl behind him to offer defensive stability.

Still trailing, in the 74th minute, Seferovic came on to replace Darwin. When many expected Gonçalo Ramos to replace Everton, he took a chance by taking out Weigl and playing with a front four.

Those who are only capable of criticizing JJ will say; well, he was trailing in a win or be eliminated match; he had to take the chance. Sure, yet he also could very well have opted to stick with a front three, as we’ve seen many times before.

While I can criticize him when it’s deserved, I can also applaud him for doing something positive. He rolled the dice, and it worked. We also cannot forget that a lot of that credit goes to the players themselves. His plan doesn’t function unless those he brought performed at a high level, which they did.

NOW, LET’S BE HONEST

I struggled to find a more serious topic to cover for this match, or negative for that matter. Gedson’s subpar performance was a candidate, but he hasn’t featured in quite some time as I thought about it.

⚠️ Another Muscle Injury | Throughout the season, we’ve had quite a few muscle injuries already, better yet, injuries as a whole. This time around, Radonjic was the chosen one.

The Serbian international featured for the national team in their historic victory over Portugal and got another chance in the starting XI.

He had a decent performance, got forward, took players on, and got to the end line, which our wide players don’t do often. Then, from a play where he pulled up short and jumped over a sliding defender, he felt what appears to have been a pain in his lower quad muscle.

You could tell from his reaction that the magic spray the medics bring onto the pitch wasn’t going to do the trick.

Let’s hope that it’s not a prolonged injury. Having arrived late in the transfer window, between injuries and international duty, he hasn’t had a chance to gain consistency within the squad.

From what he’s shown in the few chances, he has the potential to be an absolute headache for opposing defenders; we need him to stay healthy.

What would you consider your positive, and let’s be honest moment of this match? Be sure to share them in the comments.