By Melody Gross )
Gonzalo Moreira excelled with two goals and an assist
The battle for first place in the Junior Champion Qualifiers stage is alive and well. Benfica received and crushed leaders Braga 4-1, and is now three points away from the lead.
Gonzalo Moreira was the Reds' standout performer with two goals and an assist in the first half. Just four minutes later, Ben had an exchange inside the box with Olivio Tommy and curled a right-footed shot into the corner.
2-0 was a dead ball after 20 minutes. Corner on the left for Andre Gomez, who put the ball over Gonzalo Oliveira's head and into the back net.
Benfica did not take its foot off the accelerator, and in the 32nd minute the third goal arrived. Gonçalo Moreira discovered Thiago Freitas, who received the ball in a special area and with great technical detail pushed the opponent out of his way before he touched the goal.
Everything was very simple and it was possible to reach defeat before the break. In the 34th minute, Guilherme Peixoto was fouled in a restricted area and Gonzalo Moreira scored twice from the penalty spot.
SC Braga's reaction was straightforward before the break. In the 43rd minute, Furtado shot with his left foot, scoring a goal from the spearhead.
Minho's side could have restarted the game in the second half, but the team always closest to goal was Benfica, with Olivio Tomé testing Znoderl's reflexes in the 82nd minute. Shortly afterwards, the Reds were reduced to ten men due to Thiago Pinto being sent off after stomping on Luis Fernandez, but without impact on the final result.
Luis Araujo's team reignites the title race with four rounds left in the season. This Friday, Sporting – FC Porto will also play at 4pm. At that time, Academico was hosting V. Guimarães and Varence visit Famalicao.