Benfica defeated Club Brugge with ease thanks to two goals from Goncalo Ramos, advancing them to the quarter-finals of the Champions League.
With a convincing 5-1 victory over Club Brugge in the round of 16 second leg, Benfica qualified for the UEFA Champions League quarterfinals for the second consecutive season.
Club Brugge had a chance to take the lead in the first few minutes, just like in the first leg, but the away captain Hans Vanaken could only direct his header wide from Casper Nielsen’s tempting delivery.
Just before halftime, Benfica applied more pressure, and they were eventually rewarded with two excellent goals in a span of seven minutes.
Gonçalo Ramos’ left-handed center was skillfully finished by Rafa Silva before the 21-year-old joined in. He danced past two defenders with some deft footwork before guiding a shot past Simon Mignolet.
Little over 10 minutes after the break, the Eagles’ top scorer so far this season added another goal by powerfully converting Alejandro Grimaldo’s low cross.
Joo Mário, whose first-minute goal was disallowed for offside, pounced on the chance to score from the spot for a fifth straight UEFA Champions League game. After Abakar Sylla had knocked down Benfica substitute Gilberto, he coolly sent Mignolet the wrong way.
The home team maintained their focus and scored again shortly after when substitutes Joo Neves and David Neres connected, with the Brazilian international sending a low shot from the left of the box into the far corner.
Bjorn Meijer’s curling goal with three minutes left was the night’s final score for Scott Parker’s team.
Benfica had a terrific performance in Lisbon after their 2-0 victory in Belgium. They were in control from the start, and Rafa Silva nearly gave them the victory by breaking the tie.
A Gonçalo Ramos double ended the game and proved that Benfica was unquestionably the superior team in this match.
Despite their best efforts, Club Brugge’s dreams were shattered in the first half when Gonçalo Ramos and Rafa Silva both scored two outstanding goals.
Benfica’s goals kept flowing after halftime, and Blauw-Zwart was still unable to gain momentum. It wasn’t until five minutes remaining that they let up. Meijer made a spectacular goal-scoring play to salvage some honor for the visiting team.
Match Stats
With three victories by a score of 3-0, Benfica scored their highest home victory in the UEFA Champions League.
For the first time since 1968–1969, the Eagles have advanced to back-to-back quarterfinals of the European Cup.
With as many appearances in the UEFA Champions League this year, Rafa Silva now has four goals.
The youngest Portuguese player to score twice in a UEFA Champions League knockout game is Gonçalo Ramos (age 21 years, 260 days).
Since Eusébio in May 1963 to September 1964, Joo Mário is the first Benfica player to score in five straight outings in the European Cup.
Club Brugge Sack Scott Parker After Benfica Thrashing
Following Tuesday night’s 5-1 humiliation against Benfica, Scott Parker was fired as manager of Club Brugge after just 12 games.
With only two victories under his belt, the Belgian champions have lost 19 points to league leaders Genk during Parker’s brief tenure as manager.
The last straw was their Champions League last-16 loss on Tuesday in Lisbon, which saw them eliminated from the competition 7-1 overall.
After the game, Parker said to reporters: “For me it’s been challenging, but the players have been brilliant and wanting to do everything they can to turn this around.”
“I understand people now doubt [me], I’m not naive enough to not [think that]. All I can say is that I’m trying to turn this around and create a team that will start winning again.”
Parker played in 10 league games for the club, drawing five, winning two, and losing three. This resulted in the club finishing just one point clear of the competition for the final playoff spot.
After been fired by Bournemouth four games into the Premier League season following a 9-0 drubbing at Liverpool, this is his second firing this season.
