Match Report
Nacional, 14th on 34 points, faced a 46-point deficit to Benfica (3rd, 80). Nacional ranked 5th in the league on five-round form, well above their 14th table position. Per game in the league, Benfica were scoring 2.18 and conceding 0.74, Nacional 1.09 and 1.32, against a competition average of 1.34 goals per team per game.
Defeat had not touched Benfica in 5 games, having scored in 7 consecutive games. The five-game form split read 11/15 points for Benfica against 4/15 for Nacional.
The head-to-head ledger counts 25 games: 20 Benfica wins, 1 for Nacional, 4 draws, at 3.72 goals per meeting. Three-plus goals is the norm here, arriving in 72% of the meetings, and both sides scored in 60%. Goals have dried up lately: 2.8 per game across the last five meetings, against 3.72 across the full history.
Estádio do Sport Lisboa e Benfica staged the fixture, a ground that holds 68,100. Benfica led 2-0 at the break — the second half brought no more goals and it finished 2-0.
Goal scorers
Benfica: Andreas Schjelderup (3'), Rafa Silva (14')
Key stats
Possession: Benfica 58% · Nacional 42% · Total shots: 24-7 · On target: 8-4 · Corners: 15-1