Benfica pull clear of Omonia after the break to win 4-1
Benfica beat Omonia 4-1 in Nicosia on Europa League matchday 3, scoring three times after half-time following a 1-1 first half.
By Harvey Watkins,
Benfica won 4-1 against Omonia at the GSP Stadium on Thursday night. The scoreline is emphatic, but it covers two quite different halves. For 45 minutes this was level. Omonia did not score again after the interval, and Benfica scored three times.
An even first half
Benfica went ahead in the 14th minute through an own goal by Loïc Nego. Going behind early against a side of Benfica's standing could have set the tone for the evening. Omonia stayed in the match, and in the 42nd minute Andronikos Kakoullis equalised.
The timing mattered. A goal three minutes before half-time sent Omonia in level, at 1-1. The first half gave no sign of the result that followed.
Pavlidis restores the lead
That position lasted four minutes into the second half. Vangelis Pavlidis put Benfica back in front in the 49th minute. It was the first goal Benfica had scored themselves, since their opener had come from Omonia's side.
It is fair to say this was the turning point. Benfica restored their lead almost straight after the restart. That changed the task for Omonia. They no longer needed to hold a draw. They needed to chase a second equaliser.
Aursnes and Prestianni settle it
For almost half an hour, a single goal separated the sides. On the scoreline alone, Omonia were still within reach. That ended in the 76th minute, when Fredrik Aursnes made it 3-1. With a quarter of an hour left, a two-goal margin is a different proposition.
Gianluca Prestianni added a fourth in the 85th minute. That goal is the one that turned a clear win into a heavy one. By then the contest was effectively over.
What the scoreline says
A goals list is a blunt record. It cannot tell you how much of the ball either side had or where the chances fell. What it does show is a match that changed after half-time.
- First half: Omonia 1, Benfica 1, with Benfica's goal an own goal.
- Second half: Omonia 0, Benfica 3.
Omonia were level at the interval, having come back from behind. They then conceded three without reply. Benfica had three different scorers after the break, in Pavlidis, Aursnes and Prestianni. That suggests the goals did not depend on one player having a good night.
For Omonia, Kakoullis's equaliser is the positive to take away. For a spell they had matched their visitors. The difficulty was the start of the second half, and they never recovered from it.
For Benfica, this was a matchday 3 win in which they trailed only in the sense that they were briefly pegged back. They led twice. The second time, they did not let it go.
Goals
- 14' Loïc Nego, own goal (Omonia 0-1 Benfica)
- 42' Andronikos Kakoullis (1-1)
- 49' Vangelis Pavlidis (1-2)
- 76' Fredrik Aursnes (1-3)
- 85' Gianluca Prestianni (1-4)