On a night that featured a chilling tribute to Sven-Goran Eriksson on the pitch of Estádio da Luz, Benfica overcame the disappointment caused by the derbies against Sporting, by beating, this Thursday, Olympique Marseille (2-1) in the first leg of the quarter-finals of the Europa League. Next comes a decisive match in Marseille, next Thursday, with an eye on the semi-finals of the second most important European club competition.

The incarnate team started strong and, at the 16th minute, Rafa Silva opened the score, and was always closer to increasing the advantage than conceding the equalizer, until the end of the first half of a match that, it should be noted, was at risk of not having visiting fans, after all the controversy related to the ban (meanwhile lifted) imposed by the French authorities on the incarnate fans for the second leg.

After an interval in which Eriksson, former Swedish coach with terminal cancer, received a huge ovation, Benfica scored the second goal, through Ángel Di María (52') and, right after the new 'explosion' of joy at Luz, even threatened to score a third. However, the scenario that even seemed ideal for the current incarnate context quickly turned into... anxiety.

About halfway through the second half, Aubameyang reduced (67') the disadvantage and relaunched the tie, 'sowing' doubts about the eagles' triumph until the final whistle. Despite the incarnate smile, the Benfica squad would end up leaving the pitch under a chorus of whistles (albeit with some applause mixed in), now preparing for the second leg of the 'quarter-finals', in Marseille, on April 18, with a view to the top 4 of the Europa League.

Let's go to the match notes:

Figure

Ángel Di María is the kind of player who doesn't even need to do much to be one of the highlights of the match, especially due to his inherent technical quality. When he manages to combine these virtues with emotional intelligence (something that, as happened against Sporting, was not always the best), everything flows better. Despite some ball losses and the occasional failed cross, the Argentine forward only needed to make one shot to cause damage, in the 2-0 move, and also starred in other moments of record in the main dangerous plays of his team.

Surprise

Azzedine Ounahi has increasingly been a 'weapon' of the French emerging from the bench, which was even evident at Luz. The Moroccan midfielder came into play at 54 minutes and, shortly after, stood out by assisting Aubameyang's goal, which revived the hopes of the Marseille emblem, giving the feeling that the impact could have been different if he had entered earlier. Also note that Ounahi did not miss a single pass, among the 26 he executed, in addition to a 'treacherous' cross that still frightened Trubin.

Disappointment

António Silva has already accustomed Benfica fans to 'eye-catching' performances and there are very rare moments when he compromises his team, but the truth is that the European experiences of this season are not going well for him, just remember, for example, the two expulsions in the group stage of the Champions League. The Portuguese international missed several passes, hesitated in duels somewhat unexpectedly and was still poorly photographed in Aubameyang's goal move, disappointing some fans.

Coaches

Roger Schmidt wanted to repeat the 'formula' used in the derbies against Sporting, despite the negative outcomes in the Portuguese Cup (2-2) and in the I League (2-1), without any changes in the starting eleven, something that, at certain moments of the game, seemed to prove the coach right. However, after the two-goal advantage (still with an approach to the third), the eagles 'relaxed' and saw the difference shortened to one goal, motivating only two substitutions, within the last 20 minutes. The public did not like the suffering in the end and reacted with... whistles.

Jean-Louis Gasset tried to counteract Olympique Marseille's negative cycle, with changes in all sectors, but ended up 'betrayed' by a goal from Rafa in the second chance of the match. Even so, the 70-year-old coach knew how to move the team and the key to the reaction was precisely the bet on Ounahi, with a relevant impact on the team's transitions to attack, causing some chills to Benfica fans, especially in the final stretch of the match. It remains to be seen what he will take from the Luz match to aim for a comeback in Marseille.