East Hartford, Connecticut
Portuguese Champions Benfica faced off against Italian side Fiorentina in the 2015 Guinness International Champions Cup.
This match was anything but friendly; a red card, numerous yellows, and several bone-crunching tackles made it appear as though the two sides were meeting in a Champions League playoff match instead of a preseason friendly.
The action on the field contrasted nearly everything off it; club legend Rui Costa, now a sporting director for the Lisbon side, once played for Fiorentina as did Paulo Sousa, Fiorentina’s current head coach.
Prior to the match, the atmosphere between clubs was warm, and was only complimented by an impressive Portuguese fan base in the stands. The majority of supporters at Rentschler Field in Hartford wore red, with Italian club jerseys sprinkled throughout.
Kickoff
Benfica continue its preseason without a win under new manager Rui Vitória. This time, 4-5 losers after going to penalties.
There were plenty of opportunities for both sides in the first half, with Benfica going close with a shot from Jonathan Rodriguez, which was saved by Sepe. Fiorentina nearly opened the scoring near the half, with Marcos Alonso forcing Júlio César to a difficult save. At the half, Benfica had outshot Fiorentina 6 to 5 highlighting the balance between the two sides.
With the imminent sale of Lima to Middle Eastern side Al Ahli, Rui Vitória opted to replace him with Jonathan Rodriguez, giving the Uruguayan youngster his first opportunity to play in the Benfica starting eleven. The Portuguese side’s best players were Jonas and Nico Gaitán, who has been rumoured to join Premier League side Manchester United this preseason. The two combined well on several occasions, but Benfica’s finishing deserved better.
On the Italian side, Ilicic was the most dangerous player – he could have scored on multiple occasions – and Marcos Alonso showed a bit of promise. Fiorentina, who began its preseason several days ahead of Benfica, looked a step behind in preseason form.
The second half was marked by the sending off of Benfica’s captain Luisão, who received a second yellow card, though Benfica managed to play the remainder of the match with the same intensity they had in the first.
In added time, Bagadur almost scored an own goal, but conceded a corner kick instead. The game went into a penalty shoot-out, and after nine consecutive successful executions, Benfica’s Carcela missed, and added 2 points to Fiorentina’s International Champions Cup tally.
Final Score: SL Benfica 0 – 0 ACF Fiorentina (4-5 on penalties)
Photo gallery.
Best moments from the match. Click HERE!
