‘I’ve been disappointed with my club’ – Benfica, the team with the eyes of the world on it
Enzo Barrenechea celebrates scoring in Benfica’s win against AVS
“Benfica supporters, as always before a home match at Estadio da Luz, have gathered by the statue of iconic club legend Eusebio. They meet friends, they take selfies, they drink, they eat and they discuss how many goals their team will put past Primeira Liga whipping boys AVS (eight points from 22 matches) this evening. On a gloriously sunny February evening in Lisbon, with temperatures approaching 20C (68F), metaphorical dark clouds are hanging over this grand old club. The omnipresent figure of Eusebio, the Black striker who scored 473 goals in a Benfica shirt, feels more pertinent than usual given what happened here on Tuesday night. It should have been a proud occasion when Benfica took on Real Madrid in the Champions League knockout round play-offs, just a few weeks after goalkeeper Anatoliy Trubin’s football miracle of a last-minute goal in the same fixture. …”
NY Times/The Athletic (Video)
One of the biggest cheers of the night from Benfica fans was the introduction of their young Black striker Arthur Cabral