New year glow sees Benfica hit three past Arouca away from home

Arouca 0-3 Benfica

Benfica have kept up with the pace at the top of the Primeira Liga table with a 3-0 victory away to Arouca, this Saturday.

The Eagles secured a comfortable advantage with goals either side of the interval through Rafa Silva and Orkun Kökçü, despite shaky moments against an alert Arouca outfit.

Super sub Petar Musa added the finishing touches to a 3-0 victory late on for Roger Schmidt’s side, taking the Lisbon giants back to being within a point of table-topping Sporting.

For the encounter, the German manager opted for Arthur Cabral in attack, who was at the centre of Benfica’s first real moment of danger, assisting Rafa for a later disallowed goal in the 15th minute.

Arouca replied with high pressure in the 20th minute, earning them a great opportunity to open the score after catching the visitors out at the entrance of their own box, only for Rafa Mújica to spoil the chance with a curling strike wide.

Rafa was back at it on the half-hour mark, scoring another disallowed goal before it became third time lucky in the 39th minute for the forward, finding his way past Ignacio de Arruabarrena and tapping into an empty net for the game’s first goal.

On the brink of half-time, Arouca were awarded an even bigger chance to hurt Benfica but it was Mújica once more, followed up by his compatriot Cristo González, who’d let the Reds off the hook with a miss apiece.

With the game dangerously resting on a one-goal advantage, Benfica were able to double their comfort, despite the initial calls for offside on Rafa, assisting Kökçü for a tap-in two minutes into the second period.

Schmidt’s men neared a third goal with a dangerously-deflected João Mário effort before Rafa, minutes later, was betrayed by an incredible bobble whilst bearing down on  Arruabarrena’s goal.

In the 85th minute, Musa, off the bench, put the game beyond any doubt after reacting first to Kökçü’s cross and volleying into the far corner, securing three points with a 3-0 victory.

By Patrick Ribeiro

Arouca XI: Ignacio de Arruabarrena - Tiago Esgaio, Javi Montero, Nino Galovic, Bogdan Milovanov - Cristo González, Morlaye Sylla (Alfonso Trezza, 84’), David Simão, Eboue Kouassi (Pedro Santos, 81’) - Jason (André Bukia, 75’), Rafa Mújica (Michel, 75’)

Benfica XI: Anatoliy Trubin - Frederik Aursnes (Tomás Araujo, 87’), António Silva, Nicolas Otamendi, Morato - Angel Di María (Gonçalo Guedes, 87’), João Neves, Orkun Kökçü - João Mário (Florentino Luís, 78’), Rafa Silva (Tiago Gouveia, 87’), Arthur Cabral (Petar Musa, 72’)