Sudakov's late goal seals Benfica's 3-1 win over Lech Poznań
Benfica beat Lech Poznań 3-1 in the Europa League, scoring early and late, and now have three wins from three meetings with the Polish side.
By Harvey Watkins,
Benfica beat Lech Poznań 3-1 at the Estádio da Luz on Thursday night in Matchday 4 of the Europa League. A two-goal margin suggests a comfortable evening, but the outcome was not secure until Georgiy Sudakov scored in the 90th minute.
An early lead, then a long wait
Benfica could hardly have started better. Rafa Silva scored in the sixth minute, and for a while it looked as though the home side might build a lead quickly.
Instead, the next hour produced nothing more. Neither side scored again before the interval, so Benfica went in 1-0 up, and the second half was more than 20 minutes old before the scoreline moved. One goal is a slim advantage to protect for that long. Lech Poznań stayed within touching distance throughout.
Two goals in five minutes
The game changed in the 67th minute when Gianluca Prestianni doubled Benfica's lead. At 2-0 the home side appeared to have done enough, but the cushion lasted only five minutes. Leo Bengtsson scored for Lech Poznań in the 72nd minute, and the visitors were back within a goal with around a quarter of an hour to play.
That brief exchange was the most eventful stretch of the match. Benfica created the two-goal margin and Lech Poznań removed it almost straight away, which left the final 18 minutes open.
Sudakov settles it
The equaliser did not come. Sudakov's goal in the 90th minute restored Benfica's two-goal lead and ended any doubt about the result. Before that, a single Lech Poznań goal would have earned them a draw, so the 3-1 scoreline gives a slightly misleading picture of how the closing stages stood.
Benfica's three goals came from three different scorers: Rafa Silva, Prestianni and Sudakov. For the visitors, Bengtsson's goal was their only reward.
A familiar outcome in this fixture
This was the third meeting between the clubs, and Benfica have won all three. The two previous games came in the autumn of 2020. Benfica won 4-2 in Poznań in October and 4-0 in Lisbon in December.
Across the three matches Benfica have scored 11 goals and conceded three. Their lowest total against Lech Poznań is the three they managed on Thursday. That is still a short record, and the two earlier meetings took place six years ago, so it says little about either current side. It does show that Lech Poznań have yet to take anything from this fixture, and that Benfica have scored at least three goals every time.
What the result means
For Benfica, the night brought a win and three goals, though the gap between the opening goal and the second was long enough to make the evening less straightforward than the final score suggests. For Lech Poznań, Bengtsson's goal briefly put the result in doubt, but they could not find a second, and Sudakov's late finish confirmed another defeat against these opponents.