Benfica’s title aspirations suffered a blow after a 1-1 draw against Casa Pia. The match saw the home crowd voice their displeasure at the final whistle.
Casa Pia Earns Draw Against Disappointing Benfica
Benfica failed to capitalise on FC Porto’s 2-2 draw against Famalicão, also dropping points in their match against Casa Pia. The draw makes the title a distant dream for José Mourinho’s team. They also lost ground to Sporting in the battle for second place.
Despite creating several opportunities in the first half, Benfica couldn’t take the lead before the break. Richard Ríos scored in the 68th minute to give Benfica the lead, but Rafael Brito equalised about 10 minutes later to seal the final result. Benfica pushed for a winning goal until the final whistle, fielding three forwards—Pavlidis, Ivanovic and Anísio Cabral—simultaneously, but failed to beat Casa Pia’s goalkeeper, Patrick Sequeira.
The referee blew the final whistle to end the match.
Late Substitutions and Missed Chances
Jérémy Livolant was replaced by Kelian Nsona late in the game. The game was briefly paused due to a player on the ground. Six minutes of stoppage time were added.
Pedro Rosas was replaced by Abdu Conté. Rafael Brito left the pitch with a possible injury and was replaced by João Marques. The game was paused again due to another player on the ground. Casa Pia’s Patrick Sequeira received a yellow card for time-wasting.
Benfica’s Frustrated Attempts to Regain the Lead
Anísio Cabral had a big opportunity, firing a left-footed shot from inside the area that went narrowly past the left post. Alexander Bah was replaced by Franjo Ivanovic. Enzo Barrenechea was replaced by Anísio Cabral. The game was halted again due to an injured player.
Schjelderup missed a chance after getting past João Goulart, but he slipped, allowing Patrick Sequeira to grab the ball.
Casa Pia’s Equalising Goal
Casa Pia executed a quick transition, with Jérémy Livolant assisting Rafael Brito, who scored from inside the area. The score became 1-1.
Sudakov took a shot from outside the box, but Livolant deflected it for another corner.