How much longer until we can see it on our TV sets in North America?
I'd cancel my Portuguese Pack on Dish the next day.
END
Type rest of the post here
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Seen through the eyes of Benfica TV
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
Everton - Benfica Game Preview
Two weeks after the convincing 5-0 win over Everton in Lisbon, it is now Benfica's turn to be the away team at Everton's Goodison Park. Both teams come into this game with the same amount of points, but Benfica holds the advantage on goal differential. Everton is riding an impressive 9 home game unbeaten streak, while Benfica has failed to get a win in their last 7 away games in European competition.
For the trip to England, JJ called on 20 players:
Keepers: Quim, Moreira and Júlio César;
Defenders: Maxi Pereira, Sidnei, David Luiz, Luisão and Shaffer;
Midfielders: Javi Garcia, Ramires, Ruben Amorim, Fábio Coentrão, Di María, Felipe Menezes and Pablo Aimar;
Forwards: Nuno Gomes, Weldon, Saviola, Cardozo and Keirrison.
2 players will watch the game from the stands, one of them obviously being one of the goalies.
Julio Cesar should keep his starting job in Europe, while the rest of the team will most likely undergo a couple changes.
In defense, Maxi will be at right back while David Luiz should most likely drift over to the left back position, giving Sidnei his spot next to Luisao.
In the midfield, Javi Garcia, DiMaria and Ramires should also start while Aimar will most likely be given a rest according to media reports. Coentrao should be the fill in, while the central midfield position will most likely go to Ramires.
Up front, Cardozo and Saviola will complete the starting 11. This is the starting 11 the media has been projecting.
While a loss would not compromise any chances to advance into the second round, a win would virtually open up the door into the next stage of the competition. Nevertheless, Benfica needs to have a serious approach to this game and can not play submissive to an Everton who will be looking for some redemption after the 5-0 humiliating defeat at Estadio da Luz 2 weeks ago.
I believe a win is very much at our reach, and it'd prevent us from going into Belarus with the need of coming away with points.
A tie would not be a bad result either, but when you come to England looking for a tie, you run the risk of ending up on the losing end of the stick.
A win would not only put us with a foot into the next round, it would also prove that the result of 2 weeks ago was not a mere coincidence, a lucky performance where everything went our way.
A win would solidify our this team's value and project us as a serious candidate to go far into this competition.
I don't believe JJ will let the team approach the game with a lax attitude, we need this win, and there's no way we should go into Goodison Park with anything but the winning mentality we have had all season.
Sunday, November 1, 2009
Braga 2 - Benfica 0 - Small Bump on the Road
In the most important game of this early season for Benfica, a game that matched up the two top teams of the Liga Sagres, it was Benfica that came out on the losing end and despite the loss costing us first place, it's a loss that's as insignificant as the chances Braga has to ever being league champions this season.
The truth is that our team wasn't really at the level they have accustomed us to, but for that we also have to look at certain variables that conditioned the game in general, certainly coming out of the locker room without Cardozo after another supposed tunnel fracas, didn't help much. But this is not the time to find excuses for our first loss of the season, but a time to realize that are plenty of games ahead and that there's still lot of work to be done to reach the top.
JJ fielded his strongest 11. With Peixoto injured, Shaffer coming from injury, and a successful Coentrao start at left back the week before, it was Coentrao along with David Luiz, Luisao and Maxi that started ahead of Quim. In the midfield, the usual suspects, Garcia,Aimar, Ramires and DiMaria. Up Front Saviola and Cardozo.
The game started as expected, with Braga being pushed by the home fans, it was the home team that started the game on top, with Benfica holding their lines well. Braga's goal came early, after a inexperienced foul by Coentrao on the side of the box, Quim followed the free kick's trajectory into his opposite angle. 7 minutes in and Benfica found themselves in an unfamiliar position, down by 1 and clearly on the bottom of the game's domination. But the goal seemed to spur Benfica into action as the team took over the game and imposed their game on the home side. Benfica pushed Braga into their own half and had a couple opportunities, one even finding the back of the net, but the referee called a phantom foul on a Luisao goal. But it was the lack of accuracy in the final third prevented Benfica from going into the the half tied.
The half closed out with some confusion at the entrance of the tunnel, as some of the Braga players and staff came after DiMaria after Dimaria had kicked the ball into the Braga bench following the whistle for the half. Players from both teams joined the confusion, but they eventually ended up all in their dressing rooms.
The beginning of the second half brought news that both Cardozo and player from Braga had been red carded in the tunnel, and both teams came out with only 10 players. Granted that Cardozo hadn't had a stellar first half, but Cardozo is an important player in Benfica's offensive scheme. Without Cardozo, Benfica had to change their game plan and was definitely the team more punished with the send off. Benfica came out strong and once again took control of the game, Braga limited themselves to defend and explore the quick transitions into the attack. Javi Garcia was the player sacrificed, as JJ put Keirrison into the game at the 55th minute mark. Benfica continued to dominate, but could not find solutions to penetrate, Aimar, without Garcia behind him, was not able to dominate the midfield and Benfica was limited to what DiMaria and Saviola could do. DiMaria who was not that much of a factor in the first half, did all he could, but couldn't find his targets in the box. Benfica's lines pushed up and that left plenty of room for Braga to explore on the transition. It was on one of those transitions that Braga got their insurance goal in the 78th minute, following a give away by DiMaria. JJ still launched Weldon and Amorim for Saviola and Aimar, but to no avail.
So we came out of Braga in second place, the domination was there but the same efficiency we had seen in previous weeks was not. I remember reading the stats put up by SportTV and the number of attacks by Benfica dwarfed Braga's. If you ask me the score is perhaps not an indicator of what went on. I don't want to take away any of Braga's merit, but a tie would have been the just result. Nonetheless this loss should not have any effect on our team.
Little is know about what happened in the tunnel, but the truth is that Cardozo suffered a double attack by two Braga players, as you can see in the picture below. Benfica's annulled goal also raises some questions as to what the referee really saw, as the replay images, show no apparent foul.
Keirrison continues to disappoint, and his adaptation grace period is quickly running out. A player that cost 14 million has to, at one point or another, prove his worth, and at this point Keirrison has done nothing to prove his worth. Perhaps I am being to harsh on the young Brazilian, perhaps he needs more time to adapt to the European style, and he may even become one of the best players, but at this point he has laid a big fat egg. With Cardozo most likely out for the next league game, i'll be curious to see if JJ goes to Keirrison again next weekend.
This loss is really not a big deal, the league is only 9 rounds in and there's many games yet to be played. Let this loss be a humbling experience for the team, and for all of those that think every game would be a multiple goal win. I still think this team has the potential to do a lot, and that a lot comes right up this Thursday with a trip to Liverpool and Goodison Park to face Everton.
Below is a picture and a video that will show you the deliberate aggresion on Cardozo, you draw you own conclusions. Oh and notice the proximity of the assistant referee to Cardozo, and let me just finish by saying that neither of the players that punched Cardozo saw any type of card from what they did.
Photos# Getty and SportTV
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Benfica 6 - Nacional 1 - Six Finger Beating
game download
1st half http://www.megaupload.com/?d=5V5PKCIA
2nd half http://www.megaupload.com/?d=7YP7MQP7
Via serbenfiquista.com
# Photo Credit - Getty
Monday, October 26, 2009
Benfica - Nacional Preview
It's back to domestic play for Benfica, this time hosting 4th place Nacional. Both teams are coming off Europa League games, both with opposite results. Nacional traveled to Spain to meet Atl Bilbao, where they lost 2-1. Domestically Nacional has done ok, with 3 wins, 2 ties and 2 losses, and despite being in 4th place the difference to the top team is a distant 11 points.
Benfica can go ahead and take first place from Braga, as the northern side dropped 2 points this past Sunday. After the 5-0 defeat of Everton, it's important to approach this game with a degree of grounding in order to end the day at the top.
For this game JJ called on the following players:
Keepers: Quim and Júlio César;
Defenders: Maxi Pereira, Luisão, Sidnei, David Luiz and César Peixoto;
Midfielders: Javi Garcia, Ramires, Rúben Amorim, Carlos Martins, Fábio Coentrão, Felipe Menezes, Pablo Aimar and Di María;
Forwards: Nuno Gomes, Weldon, Saviola, Cardozo and Keirrison
20 players in all, of which only 18 will be able to suit up.
Keirrison makes his return to the game roster after being sidelined by an injury he picked up in practice.
JJ's 11 shouldn't be to far from the following - Quim in goal. Maxi, Luisao , David Luiz and Peixoto. Javi Garcia, DiMaria, Ramires and Aimar. Saviola and Cardozo up front.
Nacional has not given up goals at Estadio da Luz in the past two seasons, Benfica will look to end that streak in a night when the new Estadio da Luz commemorates 6 years of existence.
Very important game for Benfica, a pivotal one if you ask me. Not only can Benfica take over the lead, but they will also take the momentum into Braga in the next round. Working on three days rest, it'll be important to get on the board early as the final 25 minutes of the second half will prove to be a battle of fitness for both teams. Expect another good crowd at Estadio da Luz, who will not only try to push the team to first place, but also to sing happy birthday.
Sunday, October 25, 2009
Benfica 5 - Everton 0 - A Night to Remember
What was perhaps one of the most difficult games of the group stages for Benfica, turned out to be a game that will be remembered by many for a long time. It's not every game you score 5 goals, scratch that,(not most games at least), but to score 5 against a team, that has a respectable status in the English Premiership, is something that has to be filed in every Benfiquista's memory.
Skeptics,"lagartos" and "porcos" may say that this Everton was a depleted Everton, missing a couple of key elements, but when our team shows itself at this level, game in and game out, not even a selection of all the best Everton players of the past three seasons would have been able to stop our team, and we will once again prove the 5-0 was no fluke, when we meet Everton again in Liverpool in a little bit over a week.
The starting 11 wasn't too far from we are used to seeing, Julio Cesar got the start, as he has up to this point in the Europa league, and Amorim got the start ahead of Maxi.
Benfica was just too strong for Everton from start to finish, despite Everton showing some life halfway through the first half. The early goal at the 14th minute was more than deserved as Benfica had already threatened Tim Howard's goal a couple of times. Saviola met a a millimetric DiMaria cross with a volley that bounced over Howard and into the back of the net.
It was the start Benfica worked for, and Everton didn't have any answers for Benfica's initial charge. After the first goa,l Everton got their bearings back but much because of Benfica's slowing of play, Benfica was now taking less risks and playing a more calculated and predictable style, which allowed Everton to sort out their positioning, and even out a game. Still, both DiMaria, and Saviola proved to be complete headaches for the Everton defense as all of the danger seemed to go through their feet.
Benfica went into the locker room with good momentum, but the score seemed short, and not at all one that we could rest on.
JJ's pep talk at the half seemed to work, as Benfica came out firing on all cylinders and 7 minutes into the second half we were up 4-0. Cardozo scored on the 47th and 48th, and Luisao would deliver the knockout punch in the 52nd minute.
It was that quick and merciless, no time to breathe for the English has Howard must have felt he was in practice, as his ball fetching from inside the net, came quick and frequent. To his credit, none of the goals can be put on him, as Cardozo tapped in his first, headed his second uncontested, and Luisao was also given a free header off a corner.
Everton still looked for their honor goal, but DiMaria, Saviola, Aimar and company proved to be too much for the English side. Saviola closed out the scoreboard in the 83rd minute, and the night that will soon not be forgotten by Benfiquistas.
With the win and the amount of goals scored, Benfica ascended to first place of the group, and is now in complete control of their qualification to the next round as Borisov beat AEK. Next is a trip to England to prove the 5-0 result was not a flash in the pan, surely things will not be as easy at Goodison park, but Benfica has as much of an answer to give Everton as the home side does to Benfica. A win at Goodison could seal a trip into the next round.
Time after time, this team has showed that it's real, the quality and the results are there, game after game. I know that there's a perhaps unhealthy euphoric state around this team, but what this team has shown us, is nothing compared to any type of promise shown in the past 10 years.
Screw the statistics, they might say this team this, and this team that, by comparison to past years, but the biggest difference, and the reason why fans are joining the wave in droves, is in the way the team plays, and not statistics.
Fans believe in this team, they believe in its quality, their players, and their coach, and when you believe in those things, it's easy to be a believer. I am a believer, are YOU?
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