With more than a month to go until the first meeting in the eighth final of the Champions League with Ajax, peace has not exactly returned to Benfica. The Portuguese superpower did not get any further than a 1-1 draw against low-flyer Moreirense on Saturday evening in its own Estádio Da Luz. Benfica’s anger was directed at the arbitration via a vicious tweet and a hard statement, but the disappointment of the fans afterwards focused mainly on their own players.
Moreirense took the lead after 61 minutes with a clumsy own goal by Gilberto Moraes Júnior, who received a shot from teammate Nicolás Otamendi. However, when Paulinho gave the pass, two Moreirense players were offside. “Which VAR will approve this goal?” Benfica wondered via Twitter. Benfica later announced in a statement that a protest had been lodged with the Portuguese Football Association over the actions of video referee Bruno Esteves.
“For the second time this season, the same video referee has penalized us, which has already cost us four points,” Benfica wrote in the statement. The Portuguese top club referred to Esteves’ decision not to give a penalty during the match against Estoril (1-1) after an alleged foul on Goncalo Ramos. “Benfica will therefore request measures from the disciplinary committee so that this cannot happen again.”
At the same time, Benfica lashed out at opponent Moreirense’s ‘anti-football’. “An enormous amount of time has gone into every goal kick, throw-in, corner and foul. Is this really what we want in Portuguese football?” the statement concluded. Incidentally, the statement also led to a charge against Benfica, coming from the Portuguese Referees’ Association (APAF). With a goal by Darwin Núñez in minute 65, Benfica still had one point left over against Moreirense, the number fifteen of the Portuguese Primeira Liga.
What VAR é este que valida este golo? pic.twitter.com/vEreyKP1yx
— SL Benfica (@SLBenfica) January 15, 2022
The tweet and statement are illustrative of the frustration that currently lives at Benfica. With the departure of trainer Jorge Jesus shortly before the turn of the year, Benfica hoped to create a shock effect that should have ensured that O Glorioso would still join the title fight during this period. However, things are not going much better under interim coach Nélson Veríssimo. After a defeat against FC Porto (3-1), a victory over Paços Ferreira (2-0) and a draw against Moreirense (1-1), the deficit on leader FC Porto has now risen to nine points.
Veríssimo has said goodbye to the 3-4-3 system of his predecessor Jesus and left Benfica to play in a 4-4-2 formation in the past three games. A Bola Don’t rule out the possibility that the interim coach will soon switch to 4-3-3, the system with which he led Benfica B to the second level of Portuguese football. Anyway: Veríssimo seems to have found little certainty and partly because of this, Portuguese media are taking into account that Benfica will no longer play a serious role in the battle for the national title.
“It is clear that there are frustrations”, said Veríssimo after the game with Moreirense. His team left the field to a whistling whistle and he could understand the dissatisfaction of the supporters. “We know where we have difficulties and we will not give up. The players have to rest and recover, then we get to work and focus on the next game.”
“My confidence is unchanged,” Veríssimo continued. Benfica will face Arouca next Friday. “Obviously we knew we had a tough task ahead of us, it might just get harder. We are aware of that. But we don’t give up on our goals. One of those goals is to become a champion. This result does not change the confidence and belief in the qualities within our team. We see a lot of potential, the results will come naturally.”