Match report

Benfica Defeats Spartak Moscow 2-0 in UEFA Champions League

Benfica
Benfica
2–0
FT
Spartak Moscow
Spartak Moscow
Aug 10, 2021

Benfica secured a 2-0 victory over Spartak Moscow in their UEFA Champions League opener, with key goals coming from João Mário and an own goal from S. Gigot. The Portuguese side dominated the match, holding off a resilient Spartak Moscow to secure their first win of the competition.

Key Facts

  • • João Mário scored the opening goal for Benfica at the 57th minute.
  • • S. Gigot's own goal sealed the win for Benfica in the 90th minute.
  • • Nicolás Otamendi and Aleksandr Lomovitskiy received yellow cards early in the match.
  • • Benfica made several substitutions, including J. Vertonghen, Pizzi, and Diogo Gonçalves.

Lineups

Benfica

Formation: 3-4-2-1

Starting XI

  • 99 O. Vlachodimos (G)
  • 5 J. Vertonghen (D)
  • 30 N. Otamendi (D)
  • 3 Álex Grimaldo (M)
  • 4 Lucas Verissimo (D)
  • 21 Pizzi (F)
  • 20 João Mário (M)
  • 27 Rafa Silva (F)
  • 28 J. Weigl (M)
  • 17 Diogo Gonçalves (M)
  • 88 Gonçalo Ramos (F)

Substitutes

  • 91 Morato
  • 15 R. Yaremchuk
  • 7 Éverton
  • 2 Gilberto
  • 49 A. Taarabt
  • 61 Florentino Luís
  • 11 S. Meïté
  • 95 Carlos Vinícius
  • 77 Helton Leite
  • 83 Gedson Fernandes
  • 10 L. Waldschmidt
  • 31 Gil Dias

Spartak Moscow

Formation: 4-3-3

Starting XI

  • 98 A. Maksimenko (G)
  • 14 G. Dzhikiya (D)
  • 2 S. Gigot (D)
  • 6 Ayrton (D)
  • 92 N. Rasskazov (D)
  • 47 R. Zobnin (M)
  • 10 Z. Bakaev (F)
  • 17 A. Lomovitskiy (M)
  • 18 N. Umyarov (M)
  • 9 E. Ponce (F)
  • 11 J. Larsson (F)

Substitutes

  • 33 A. Král
  • 77 R. Mirzov
  • 22 M. Ignatov
  • 7 A. Sobolev
  • 27 T. Akmurzin
  • 4 J. Hendrix
  • 32 A. Rebrov
  • 56 I. Gaponov
  • 38 A. Eshchenko
  • 29 I. Kutepov
  • 68 R. Litvinov

Timeline

  1. Benfica
    16' Benfica Card · Yellow Card
    Nicolás Otamendi

    Foul

  2. Spartak Moscow
    25' Spartak Moscow Card · Yellow Card
    Aleksandr Lomovitskiy

    Foul

  3. Benfica
    46' Benfica subst · Substitution 1
    Off: J. Vertonghen · On: Morato
  4. Benfica
    57' Benfica Goal · Normal Goal
    João Mário
  5. Spartak Moscow
    65' Spartak Moscow subst · Substitution 2
    Off: Z. Bakaev · On: R. Mirzov
  6. Benfica
    65' Benfica subst · Substitution 3
    Off: Pizzi · On: Éverton
  7. Spartak Moscow
    65' Spartak Moscow subst · Substitution 1
    Off: Nail Umyarov · On: A. Kral
  8. Spartak Moscow
    68' Spartak Moscow Card · Yellow Card
    J. Larsson

    Foul

  9. Benfica
    70' Benfica Card · Yellow Card
    J. Weigl

    Foul

  10. Benfica
    78' Benfica subst · Substitution 4
    Off: Diogo Gonçalves · On: Gilberto
  11. Spartak Moscow
    81' Spartak Moscow subst · Substitution 3
    Off: J. Larsson · On: M. Ignatov
  12. Spartak Moscow
    81' Spartak Moscow subst · Substitution 4
    Off: E. Ponce · On: Aleksandr Sobolev
  13. Benfica
    86' Benfica subst · Substitution 5
    Off: Rafa Silva · On: A. Taarabt
  14. Benfica
    90'+2 Benfica Goal · Own Goal
    S. Gigot

Match Stats

Stat Benfica Spartak Moscow
Fouls 11 17
Pass Accuracy 90% 76%
Offsides 2 1
Red Cards — —
Total Shots 10 7
Corners 5 1
Total Passes 718 339
Yellow Cards 2 2
Blocked Shots 7 1
Shots on Target 1 3
Shots off Target 2 3
Possession 69% 31%
Accurate Passes 645 257
Shots Inside Box 6 3
Saves 3 0
Shots Outside Box 4 4

Key Match Notes

  • ▸ João Mário's goal in the 57th minute shifted the momentum in favor of Benfica, providing the Portuguese side with the confidence to control the game.
  • ▸ S. Gigot's own goal in the 90th minute sealed Benfica's victory, ensuring a comfortable win in the UEFA Champions League opener.