Benfica win at Santa Clara despite a penalty and fewer chances

Santa Clara led from the spot in the first half, but two Benfica goals in six second-half minutes gave the visitors a 2-1 win at Estádio de São Miguel.

Santa Clara were ahead at half-time, thanks to a penalty from Luis Fernando Santos Oliveira shortly before the half-hour. Benfica answered after the break, with Vangelis Pavlidis scoring at 62 minutes and Gianluca Prestianni making it 2-1 six minutes later. It was a comeback built on two quick finishes rather than on a sustained spell of pressure.

Benfica had the ball for 61% of the match, close to their away average of 63.9%, so their share of possession was ordinary for them. Santa Clara had 39%, a little under their home average of 47.5%. Neither figure is unusual in itself, but it means the visitors kept the ball roughly as they normally do while the home side had less of it than usual.

Benfica took 14 shots, well short of the 19.1 they average away from home. Santa Clara managed 12, a touch above the league average of 11.8 per side, and close to their own home norm. In other words, the visitors were less busy in front of goal than they usually are, even while they were winning.

Expected goals, which measures how good a chance was based on where and how it was taken, tells a similar story. Benfica finished with 1.62, against an away average of 2.74, so their chances were worth noticeably less than they normally are. Santa Clara reached 1.35, above their home average of 1.16, which means the home side created better openings than usual and still came away with only the one goal from the penalty.

The goalkeeper Samuel Soares made five saves for Benfica, while Santa Clara's keeper had to make only one. That gap fits the pattern of the chances: the home side created more quality than usual, and Benfica's keeper was the one who had to keep them out. Prestianni was the player who decided the game for the visitors, scoring one goal, setting up another and earning a match rating of 8.2 for his effort.

Santa Clara's Luis Fernando Santos Oliveira, the penalty taker, was rated 7.4, the highest mark among the home side's players. Their own ball share, though, was below what they usually have at home, and they will have been reminded that a single goal from a penalty is not enough to hold a lead against a side that has been finishing chances this well. Benfica's away record is strong, with six wins in eight games.

The result leaves Benfica second in the table with 19 points from eight matches, while Santa Clara are fourth with 18 points from the same number of games at home. Benfica have scored 24 goals and conceded 7 in their eight away fixtures, and this win adds another route to the points they have banked on the road.

Player of the matchG. Prestianni1 goal · 1 assist8.2

V. Pavlidis1 goal7.6

Luis Fernando Santos Oliveira1 goal7.4

Samuel Soares5 saves7.3