Lisbon, March 8 (BNA): Benfica are making things look easy again.
The Portuguese side continued their fine run with a comfortable 5-1 victory over Club Brugge on Tuesday to seal their place in the Champions League quarter-finals for the second consecutive season.
They advanced 7-1 on aggregate after winning 2-0 in the first leg in Belgium, reports the Associated Press.
Rafa Silva, Joao Mario and David Neres each scored and Goncalo Ramos netted twice for Benfica, who have not reached the last eight in back-to-back seasons in more than five decades. It was eliminated by eventual runners-up Liverpool last year.
“The team has been working hard and things are going well for us,” said Silva.
Brugge, making their debut in the Champions League knockout stages, have plunged into a deeper crisis under coach Scott Parker. The team have won just twice in 12 matches since the English coach took over in December.
Parker admitted his job was in jeopardy after the “modest defeat”.
“For me it was difficult, but the players were brilliant and wanted to do everything they could to change this situation,” he said. “I understand people are complaining now (me), I’m not naive enough not to (think). All I can say is I’m trying to turn this around and create a team that’s going to start winning again.”
When asked if he would remain in his position after the loss, Parker said, “You’re asking the wrong person.”
The Belgian champions were one of the surprises of the group stage, finishing second after Porto and ahead of Bayer Leverkusen and Atletico Madrid.
“The result hit us hard,” said Bruges midfielder Hans Vanaken. “We tried to come here to do something and show something. I’m emotional because we had a great campaign and a historic quarter-final. Then you don’t want to go out like that.”
Benfica were another surprise after finishing first in a group that included Paris Saint-Germain and Juventus. And they entered the knockout stage in impressive form, enjoying a 12-game unbeaten run in all competitions with 10 wins in those matches. They’ve lost just once in 42 games this season and are unbeaten in 19 at home.
Benfica was in control from the start at Al-Nour Stadium, where Silva opened the scoring from inside the area in the 38th minute.
Ramos added to the lead with close-range goals in first-half injury time and early after half-time, becoming the youngest Portuguese player to score twice in a match in the knockout stage.
Mario scored the fourth goal by converting a penalty kick in the 71st minute, and David Neres closed the scoring for the home side from the penalty area in the 77th minute.
Benfica now has the best attack in the Champions League this season with 23 goals, one more than Napoli and two more than defending champions Real Madrid.
Bjorn Meagher scored the only goal for Brugge with a single strike into the top corner in the 87th minute. It was the team’s first goal after four goalless matches in the Champions League.
The 19-year-old Mejer became the youngest player to create four chances in a Champions League knockout match since Jadon Sancho with Borussia Dortmund in 2019.
Mario became the first player to score in five consecutive matches in the competition for Benfica since the great Eusebio in the 1963-64 run. He also became the first player to score five penalties – not counting penalties – in a single UEFA Champions League campaign.
Mario had already found the net with a back heel touch two minutes into the match, but Ramos ruled the goal out for offside.
The Portuguese club has not failed to score in their last 17 European matches, and they have scored two or more goals in 11 of their last 13 matches in Europe.
Benfica, twice European champions in the early 1960s, last reached the quarter-finals in successive seasons in 1968 and 1969. They last advanced beyond the quarter-finals in 1990, when they eventually lost the final to AC Milan.
In the other night’s match, Chelsea beat Borussia Dortmund 2-0 at Stamford Bridge to progress to the quarter-finals 2-1 on aggregate.