Benfica thrash http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/PSV-c40281 Eindhoven 4-1 in the first leg of quarter-final of UEFA Europa League
Brace from http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Eduardo-Salvio-c12079 helped Benfica beat PSV Eindhoven 4-1 in the first leg of quarter-final of UEFA Europa League at Estadio da Luz, Benfica’s home ground, on Thursday, 7th April, 2011.
http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Oscar-c28720 Cardozo started upfront in a 4-4-2 formation.
Meanwhile, Fred Rutten named an unchanged PSV team from their 2-0 defeat against http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Jeremain-Lens-c18323 playing in a 4-3-3 formation.
The hosts began the game confidently and looked to make early inroads. Saviola had two fantastic scoring opportunities in the opening 10 minutes but both went in vain. The Argentinean received the ball inside the penalty area and spun his marker before unleashing
a powerful strike, which rattled against the cross-bar. A minute later, the former Real Madrid man had another wonderful chance of scoring after he surged inside the box and smashed a shot over the keeper’s head by few yards.
PSV’s first real chance of the game came in the 19th minute, when Dzsudzsák chipped in a brilliant cross for Berg, whose thundering header went whiskers over the bar.
The hosts kept the pressure with a barrage of attacks on the visiting defence. Their patience was rewarded in the 37th minute of the game when Pablo Aimar earned them the lead. Nicolas Gaitan and http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Fabio-c13152 Coentrao made a lovely link-up play before
Gaitan crossed in the box for http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Pablo-Aimar-c28938, who fired a shot into the bottom corner of the net to make it 1-0 for Benfica.
Benfica doubled their lead on the brink of the half-time whistle; Coentrao made a blistering run from the left flank before crossing inside the box for Salvio, who finished a lovely back-heel goal into the net to make it 2-0 for the hosts.
The Eagles scored their third goal of the evening moments after resumption of second half. Salvio danced past two defenders from outside the penalty area and smashed a powerful shot into the bottom corner of the net to make it 3-0 for the hosts.
The hosts were too powerful to handle as the 21 times Eredivise Champions looked helpless against them. Benfica continued to threaten as Cardozo missed a sitter in-front of goal in the 70th minute.
The visitors managed to pull one goal back in the 80th minute after a howler from Benfica goalkeeper Roberto, who spilled the ball from a cross and http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Zakaria-Labyad-c37796 scored with his first touch of the game after coming a minute earlier from the substitute
bench.
Just when it looked like Benfica were marching on to an easy win, they added another goal in the last action of the game. http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Maxi-Pereira-c25004 found Saviola with a lovely pass inside the box and the Argentinean turned brilliantly to smash the ball into the roof
of the net to seal the game at 4-1.
The second leg of the tie will be played Philips Stadion, Eindhoven on the 14th of April, 2011.
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