Benfica beats Moreirense 4-0 to claim sixth straight win across competitions
Benfica secured a 4-0 victory over Moreirense in a rescheduled match at the Estádio Comendador Joaquim de Almeida Freitas, moving to 13 points in second place in the Primeira Liga.
First-half pressure and penalty decision
Benfica travelled to Moreira de Cónegos on 9 September 2026 to play their rescheduled round 3 match against Moreirense, an encounter originally scheduled for 23 August. Manager Marco Silva adjusted his lineup by resting Heorhiy Sudakov and giving Daniel Banjaqui a start at right-back after Alexander Bah suffered an injury against Marítimo. The visitors created immediate danger when Gianluca Prestianni tested goalkeeper André Ferreira in the sixth minute, before Rafa Silva sent the rebound wide in the seventh minute. Benfica lodged two unsuccessful penalty appeals in the opening 15 minutes after challenges by Moreirense central defender Maracás on Rafa Silva and Vangelis Pavlidis. Moreirense threatened in the 40th minute when Landerson missed a rebound following a collision between Samuel Soares and Alexandre Parsemain. The visitors broke the deadlock in first-half stoppage time after Clément Lenglet went down in the box under a challenge from Parsemain. Referee Fábio Veríssimo awarded a penalty following a video assistant referee review, and Pavlidis converted in the 45+3 minute to score his sixth league goal in five matches and his 12th goal in 10 games this season.
Tactical adjustments and second-half goals
In the second half, Benfica capitalized on positional overloads along the left flank where Andreas Schjelderup and Prestianni operated. Schjelderup held wide positions that pushed Moreirense midfielder Rodrigo Alonso deeper, allowing left-back Samuel Dahl to advance and Prestianni to find space between the lines. Schjelderup doubled the lead in the 55th minute, receiving a pass from Prestianni at the edge of the penalty area and shooting past Ferreira. Four minutes later, Prestianni extended the score to 3-0 in the 59th minute to cap his individual attacking display. Benfica added a fourth goal in the 72nd minute when substitute Fredrik Aursnes scored following an assist by Schjelderup.
- Vangelis Pavlidis converts a penalty awarded after a VAR review on Clément Lenglet.
- Andreas Schjelderup scores from the edge of the penalty area following an assist by Gianluca Prestianni.
- Gianluca Prestianni scores to make it 3-0 for Benfica.
- Fredrik Aursnes scores after entering from the bench following an assist by Andreas Schjelderup.
Squad rotation and league standings
The 4-0 result secured Benfica's sixth consecutive victory across all competitions, including their recent Europa League playoff fixtures and domestic matches. With the three points, Benfica reached 13 points in the Primeira Liga standings, moving into second place level with Sporting and two points behind table leaders FC Porto. Moreirense remained in 13th place in the league table on four points. Before the fixture, Marco Silva addressed the physical demands facing his squad during a run of four matches across 11 days.
The season is long and the number of games we will have, playing in the Europa League and with games on Thursday and Sunday or Thursday and Monday, will inevitably happen. And that was one of the reasons why we wanted a competitive squad. We do not just want one player per position, to make things easier for whoever decides or plays. That is precisely why we want competitiveness and only in that way can we refresh. I am not talking so much about rotation just for the sake of rotating, it is so that we can refresh.
Calendar ahead for both clubs
The victory concluded the first of two rescheduled Primeira Liga fixtures across the league calendar. Benfica now transitions into a congested phase of their schedule featuring four matches across 11 days between domestic competition and the Europa League group stage. Moreirense will resume their league campaign in the upcoming round after taking four points from their opening matches.
