Sudakov's 90th-minute winner settled Benfica against Lech

A late strike from Heorhii Sudakov settled a game that Benfica had shaped on the numbers, and Lech had struggled to trouble.

Heorhii Sudakov scored in the 90th minute to put Benfica back two goals clear and settle a match that had been in doubt for the final quarter of an hour. Benfica had led since Rafa's early goal and went two up through Gianluca Prestianni at 67, only for Leo Bengtsson to pull one back at 72. Sudakov's late strike, set up by Enzo Barrenechea, made it 3-1 and sent Benfica home with the points.

Benfica took 23 shots, which is more than their usual 19.3 a game, and 17 of them came from inside the box. The quality of those chances was a different story. Expected goals, or xG, is a way of scoring each shot by how often a chance like it goes in, and Benfica's total came to 1.91, below the 2.13 they usually reach. They had plenty of attempts but not as many good ones as normal.

Benfica had 56% of the ball, under their usual 60.8%, which means Lech kept more possession than they typically do. Lech's average is 39%, so 44% was a noticeable rise for them. Having more of the ball did not translate into much threat, because Lech were trying to make something out of a smaller share of the play.

Lech managed only six shots, against 15.3 on average for them. Their xG of 0.5 is well below the 1.52 they usually produce, so their attacking was thin even with the extra possession. Bengtsson's goal at 72 was their only reward, and Lis made eight saves to keep the score down for as long as he could.

Rafa's opener at six minutes came early and set the shape of the evening. Prestianni's goal at 67 was assisted by Sudakov, and Sudakov's rating of 9 reflects that he took part in both the second and third goals. Trubin, in the Benfica goal, made four saves, but was rarely tested as heavily as Lis was at the other end.

Three players were booked, two for Benfica and one for Lech, and nobody was sent off, so the match was played at full strength for both sides throughout. Each manager made five substitutions, with most of the changes coming around the hour mark and again in the final quarter. The late changes did not disturb the balance of the game much.

Benfica's nine points from three games put them second in the table, with 10 goals scored and only two conceded. Lech have one point from their three games and sit 32nd, having conceded nine. The gap between the two sides on the table matches the gap in chances that the night produced.

Player of the matchH. Sudakov1 goal · 1 assist9.0

G. Prestianni1 goal7.7

M. Lis8 saves7.6

A. Trubin4 saves7.3