Match report
Full-time: Benfica 2-2 Ajax
It’s all to play for in the second leg. Ajax looked at one stage like they could have wrapped up qualification today but Benfica, roared on by a terrific crowd, fought back hard and deserved their equaliser. There could have been plenty more goals in a splendidly frenetic game. The second leg should be well worth following.
90+3 min: The corner is cleared as far as Antony, who tries to curl it into the top corner from 25 yards out. The keeper pushes it wide for another corner.
90+2 min: Berghuis swings over a wicked cross from the left. Vertonghen plunges to head it behind before Haller can get on the end of it.
90+1 min: Benfica substitutions: Lazaro and Gonçalves on, Nunez and Gilberto off.
89 min: As Ajax try to take a quick attacking throw-in, the ref whistles to allow treatment for a defender who has gone down in the box, seemingly with cramp. Ajax are peeved.
86 min: Nunez and Antony square up to each other after tangling for the ball. They go forehead-to-forehead and Antony thrusts his head towards the Uruguayan, who hurls himself backwards and collapses on the grass as if mortally wounded. The ref decides a yellow card will suffice.
83 min: Benfica substitution: Bernardo on, Taarabt off
79 min: Benfica are finishing the stronger. Ajax, superior for most of the match, look like they’d do well to get away on level terms. Having said that, Halle has just cracked on over the bar from the edge of the area.
76 min: The stadium is absolutely heaving! The crowd are lapping up this action and are urging their team to go for a winner. Yaremchuk might just have got it a moment ago if not for a timely interception by Timber, who has been superb for most of this match, both defensively and going forward.
74 min: The VAR check is over: the goal stands. We have ourselves a humdinger of a tie.
73 min: Wait! There’s a VAR check to see whether the goal should be chalked off and Ajax awarded a penalty at the other end for the challenge (foul?) on Timber. This could be fun!
GOAL! Benfica 2-2 Ajax (Yaremchuk 72)
What an incredible passage of play! Ajax threatened at one end, with Timber joining in the attack brilliantly and then going down in the box. The ref waved play on and, boy, did Benfica do that! Ramos thundered a shot at goal from 25 yards. Pasveer saved with one hand but Yaremchuk followed up to head the rebound into the net!
Updated
70 min: Silva slips the ball through to Yaremchuk in the area. The Ukrainian pokes it past the keeper but Timber does superbly to get back and whack it out for a corner.
69 min: Silva thwacks one over the bar from 20 yards after neat service by Yaremchuk. It wasn’t a great effort but it’s encouraging that Benfica attacked in such numbers and were able to work a clear opening.
67 min: Ramos goes down in the Ajax box following a corner. The crowd want a penalty but he threw himself.
66 min: Benfica are not out of this yet, thanks mainly to Ajax’s wasteful finishing. Mazraoui has to make a last-gasp tackle to deflect the ball out for a corner.
64 min: A lovely flighted ball over the top of the Benfica’s defence. Mazraoui ties his run perfectly, takes the ball down and drives at goal. The keeper parries well.
63 min: Benfica substitution: Yaremchuk on, Everton off.
63 min: Nunez has a bash from way out. The keeper dives but only to get a better view of it as it sails wide.
61 min: Timber gets caught upfield after leading another bold attack. Benfica counter. Silva hurtles down the right, leading a 3v3 attack. He tries to pick out Nunez racing in towards the far post ... but his low delivery is fractionally too long for the striker.
59 min: Gravenbersh miscontrols after being sent clear by Tadic.
58 min: Ajax make a mess of a rehearsed corner routine. Nunez tries to run all the way from his own box to the opposing one, riding a wild tackle as he goes. He’s caught legitimately before he can get into shooting range.
55 min: Sharp move by Benfica, the smartest bit being the way they worked it out Silva at the edge of the area. He shifted quickly on to his let foot and let fly ... it deflects off a defender ... wrongfoots the keeper ... and spins just wide!
53 min: Haller lopes on to a smart through-ball by Tadic. He picks out Alvarez at the edge of the area, but the midfielder sidefoots the ball over the bar.
52 min: Better from Nunez. HE shows strength and speed to storm down the left and then tries to pick out a teammate in the middle. Blind reads his mind and positions himself well to prod out for a corner.
51 min: Benfica frustration can only be rising as Ajax make pretty triangles all over the pitch, forcing the hosts to chase in vain. Ajax could finish the tie today if they show enough ruthlessness.
49 min: Another Benfica booking. Ramos cops yellow for tugging back Timber as the defender strode past him. Their heads are going here ....
47 min: Nunez gets away with a yellow card after a wild tackle on Martinez. It was obviously borne of frustration after he was denied a freekick a moment before. His teammates lead him away as he scowls at the ref following his booking.
46 min: Here comes the players. No personnel changes during the break - even Martinez is back out despite seeming to be hurt and dazed after his clash of heads with Otamendi in the first period.
Half-time: Benfica 1-2 Ajax
The first thing to say is this has been a joyously entertaining match. It’s being played at an exhilarating pace and with thrilling attacking intent; at times it has been hurly-burly but it has also been embroidered with some wonderfully skilful play, especially by Ajax. You get the feeling there’ll be plenty more goals.
44 min: A brilliant run and pass by Antomy gives Alvarez a chance to make it 3-1. He fires first-time across the keeper and towards the far corner. But it bounces out off the post! Straight to Haller ... whose reactions let him down, as he fails to adjust his feet quickly enough and winds up slotting wide from three yards! What an escape for Benfica!
41 min: Silva - by far Benfica’s best attacker - cuts a dash through midfield and tries to slip in Nunez, but the forward can’t get the ball under control.
38 min: Gravenberch scoots down the left, riding two hopeful challenges and then feeding Tadic. With the Benfica defence in a tizzy, the ball is eventually worked to Haller, whose shot from 20 yards doesn’t present too much of a problem to Vlachodimos.
35 min: another break in play, this time for Martinez, seemingly for some head injury. The treatment at the moment consists of him rubbing his face with water. That does not look like a head injury that is being taken seriously.
32 min: Silva’s dribbling skills are making him a nuisance to the Ajax defence. This time they fend him off but he works the ball wide to Nunez on the right. The forward whacks the ball low across the face of goal. Pasveer dives on it before any striker can get a touch.
30 min: After lengthy treatment for an unspecified injury, Otamendi is ready to resume ... with a black swimming cap on his head.
28 min: The goal came from an inviting cross from the left by (I think) Timber. Haller beat Vertonghen to it at the near post and poked it goalward. The keeper saved but Haller flipped the rebound nonchalantly into the net with his left foot from eight yards.
Updated
GOAL! Benfica 1-2 Ajax (Haller 28)
Did you really doubt he would net at the right end?
28 min: This is game is non-stop! Mazraoui and Tadic combine niftily down the right, enabling the Moroccan to clip over a dainty cross. It’s cleared ... and then suddenly Benfica are tearing forward at the other end. Blind steps in to put a stop to that.
26 min: It’s worth highlighting some wonderful play by Silva just before that goal. His wizardly play down the right won the corner that led to Ajax’s problems.
GOAL! Benfica 1-1 Ajax (Haller og 25)
The irrepressible striker has scored against his own team! He can blame Vertonghen for that! The former Spur retrieved the ball after a corner wasn’t cleared and then smashes it low across the face of goal. Haller tried to clear but could only shank it into his own net!
Updated
24 min: Mazraoui booked for a foul out wide.
22 min: Benfica have been rattled by falling behind; they’re now overhitting or underhitting passes even when not under pressure.
20 min: Oops! Benfica’s attempt to summon a quick retort goes awry when they make a mess of a freekick wide on the right.
GOAL! Benfica 0-1 Ajax (Tadic 17)
That’s a beautifully controlled finish by Tadic! No surprise that the goal came from Ajax winning the ball high up, with Mazraoui pouncing on it and then playing a one-two before crossing for Tadic, who got his leg over the bouncing ball to steer it high into the net from 12!
Updated
14 min: Gilberto clatters Tadic from behind, giving Ajax a freekick out by the left touchline. It’s curled into the mixer but headed well clear. “As an Everton fan, I’m not sure if nominative determinism requires that Everton play for Everton at some point in his career, or if Everton scoring against Everton would cause the universe to implode,” ponders Matt Burtz. I fancy it’s only a matter of time before Farhad Moshiri appoints him as manager.
11 min: This is all becoming thrillingly hectic: it’s high energy and full of attacking intent, plus a fair few forced errors, with both sides pressuring the other into frequent ball losses.
9 min: Benfica are trying to string together passes now but Ajax are petering them high and hard. And you know that if they win the ball back up there, they’ll be quick to to threaten the goal ....
7 min: Ajax gets in behind Benfica down the left and pull the ball back to the edge, but Antony’s shot is blocked.
5 min: If the opening five minutes are anything to go by, Ajax are going to have most of the ball and Benfica are going to sit tight - but not too deep - and look for chances to spring forward on the counter.
3 min: Grimaldo curls over a freekick from the left, Vertonghen leaps highest - way above Mazraoui - and flicks a header towards goals from seven yards. But it’s straight at Pasveer, who saves without trouble.
2 min: Wonderful trickery by Antony down the right leaves Everton spinning to the grass in bewilderment. Then the winger swaps passes with Blind and darts into the area, but that’s as far as he gets before being dispossessed. A heck of a shot of intent, though.
1 min: Queen’s We Will Rock You booms out around the ground before being abrupt switched off so that the game can get under way. Don’t stop me now ...
It’s a full house at the Estadio do Sport Lisboa, including over 3,200 Ajax fans. The visiting players are wearing black shirts with red, yellow and green trims, while the hosts don red tops with white lines across the shoulder.
Before the match, the managers have been talking up their opponents. Here’s Erik ten Haag on Benfica: “They are strong opponents. They are especially good at capitalising on mistakes.”
And here’s Nelson Verissimo on Ajax: “We are facing a great opponent ... they are great in attack and concede very few goals.”
“I was debating which of the two Champions League matches to watch today,” announces Kári Tulinius “But this two minute promotional video released by Ajax settled it for me.”
♟♟
— AFC Ajax (@AFCAjax) February 23, 2022
Built on history. pic.twitter.com/pVc90ycfJW
If you ever wanted proof that there is life after the Premier League, just look at those lineups. Not only is the ex-Hammer Sebastien Haller the top scorer in the Champions League so far this season, thanks partly to able support from Dusan Tadic, but he’ll be marked by Nicolas Otamendi and Jan Vertonghen, who would be trying to forget about Europa Conference League elimination if he were still a Tottenham player And do you think Adel Taarabt would be preparing for a Champions League knockout tie if he were still turning out in various states of readiness for QPR? And how forlorn Everton would look now if he were a club rather than a midfielder, eh.
Teams
Benfica: Vlachodimos; Gilberto, Otamendi, Vertonghen, Grimaldo; Silva, Weigl, Taarabt, Everton; Nunez, Gonçalo Ramos
Subs: Leite, Meite, Yaremchuk, Diego Gonçalves, Joao Mario, Lazaro, Radonjic, Dias, Bernardo, Araujo, Morato
Ajax: Pasveer; Mazraoui, Timber, Martinez, Blind; Alvarez, Berghuis, Gravenberch; Antony, Haller, Tadic
Subs: Gorter, Onana, Schurs, Klaassen, Pereira, Rensch, Kudus, Taylor, Jensen, Daramy, Tagliafico
Referee: S Vincic (Slovenia)
Preamble
Hello and welcome. It’s hard to foresee a time when either of these great clubs will be European champions again, and that’s a damnable thing. But at least we can still enjoy them trying. Ajax have been especially impressive in this competition so far, whupping everyone in the group stage, including Sporting Lisbon, who are above Benfica in the Portuguese league. But Benfica, who are appearing at this stage for the first time in five years, made it this far by finishing above Barcelona in their group. They’ve changed manager since then - with Jorge Jesus replaced by Nélson Veríssimo. Results haven’t improved at home but doing a number on the team of the highly esteemed Erik Ten Hag would be a dandy way for the new manager to make his mark and for Benfica to take a step towards the quarter-finals. It’s on!
