Benfica FC

On Wednesday Benfica played a midweek game against Moreirense for the Portugal Cup. Again, and against a much weaker opponent, Benfica showed lots of problems to ultimately get the win at home against a Division Two opponent.

Benfica won 2 to 0, with the goals coming in the second half of the game, after Camacho put in some regular starters. Rui Costa, coming off the bench scored the first goal, while Makukula, scored the second goal, as the game was ending.

Against such a weak team, Benfica revealed the same problems that we have witness all season long with Camacho. Granted for this game some of the regulars were out, Benfica should have still blow away a club from Division Two soccer. 

Freddy Adu got a very rare start, and had a chance to show his stuff, but was rather inconsequential during the 55 minutes he was on the field. He would be substituted by Makukula.

With this win Benfica advances to the final four of Portugal Cup play. Next Sunday Benfica will play at Sporting in the biggest Portuguese soccer derby.

I have been posting less frequently lately. I know its a lame excuse, but I have been pretty busy with a few online projects. I run about 5 other blogs, among several other internet businesses, and they have been keeping me more busy lately. Since this blog is just a hobby, it is only natural it fall behind in times like this. Any, I will try to get back to my posting frequency of about 3 posts a week.

But let talk about Benfica, more specifically the two legs of the EUFA Cup games against Nuremberg.

As has been the norm this year, Benfica played another couple of bad games, with VERY bad moves coming off the bench from Camacho. I wish the man would just leave!

Benfica, playing against Nuremberg, one of the weakest teams in the Bundesliga, was almost relegated from EUFA Cup play.

In the first game in Lisbon, Benfica won 1 to 0, on a goal where the ball passed between the legs of the Nuremberg goalie. It was a sorry exhibition, where Benfica was lucky to get a win.

One week later, this time in Germany, Benfica played like crap again, went down 2 - 0, could have been 3 - 0, if it were not for the unlucky Germans, and then, in final desperation in the last minute, was able to score a goal to put us in the lead. Following the Cardozo goal Benfica was able to get another one by Di Maria, to actually tie the game, but for any one that saw the game, the score was nothing but a lie.

Benfica will not be this lucky again anytime soon, so either something changes, or its going to be a VERY long final stretch to the season.

This Sunday Benfica will be playing at home with Braga, lets see what happens, but I am not positive at all at the possible outcome.

Benfica played against Paços de Ferreira at home on Sunday in a Portugal Cup game. The final score of 4 to 1 was not enough to hide the nervousness caused by an early goal from Paços de Ferreira, that was up 1 - 0 until almost half-time.

Paços de Ferreira scored very early, at the 2 minute mark, and Benfica would tie the game just before half-time at the 42 minute mark by Cardozo on a penalty kick. Benfica would go up 2 to 1 at the beginning of the second-half, again on a penalty kick, and again by Cardozo. Cardozo actually started the game on the bench, with newcomer Makukula, being the only forward, but with the early Paços de Ferreira lead Camacho was quick to put in Cardozo.

Rui Costa would score the third goal 78 minutes into the game, and Nuno Assis would close of the scoring at the 91 minute mark. Now there is something you don´t usually see, a goal from Nuno Assis!

Benfica played with most of the regular starters for this game, with one of the few exceptions being EdCarlos on defense, but he would end up coming out still in the first half, when Cardozo came into the game. After that moment Katsouranis would pair up with Luisão on defense.

With this win Benfica passes on to the next round of the Portuguese Cup, one of the few thing that Benfica can still win this season. The Portugal Cup, which I really don´t care for very much, is considered the second most important thing to win in Portuguese soccer.

Just when it seemed things would be getting better after the win at Guimarães last week, Benfica comes back home to Stadium of Light to tie against underdog Nacional.

With this 0 - 0 tie, Benfica lets Porto get even further away, and lets the other teams, namely Guimarães gain some ground. This season is clearly lost, it has been lost for a very long time, maybe as early as when Camacho was named head coach, with very inopportune timing. The only real question is if next season is also going to be a total loss.

In the beginning of this season, Benfica made its largest investment ever in its soccer team. And at this point Benfica has very little to show for it. Most of the new players have not been getting any playing time, instead, Maxi Pereira and Cristian Rodriguez have been getting the minutes. The problem is both of these players are on loan, and as such Benfica should not be “promoting” players from other teams, especially since the season is lost, and there is nothing (or almost nothing) left to win, and a lot to loose. While Rodriguez has proved to be a useful player, Maxi Pereira has no place on this squad, much less since he is another team´s player.

Benfica has already lost plenty of money on the Bergessio deal (even thought “A Bola”, Benfica´s “official” newspaper, didn´t report it as such). Benfica has also lent out young player to other teams, when they should of probably have been getting minutes at Benfica. Meanwhile, Freddy Adu and Mantorras have to struggle to get a couple of minutes of playing time, and only when the game is already half lost, which is hardly the time to put in young promising players.

Camacho was so pathetic in this home game against Nacional, that with a scoreless tie, wastes one substitution exchanging defensive players (Leo in for Nelson), and at a crucial point in the game, takes out the most dangerous player on the field (Di Maria), to put in Mantorras. Of everyone watching the game, live or on TV, no one understood that substitution, probably not even Camacho!

Is Camacho looking for an excuse to be let go? He has my vote!