Women’s football: Benfica beats Sporting and advances in the semi-finals of the Cup

Benfica beat Sporting 1-0 and advanced to the semi-finals of the women’s Portuguese Cup.

The game was lively and had ascendant alternations and countless opportunities. The Eagles started better, but after 10 minutes the Lions team started to be more dangerous and in the 14th minute Olivia Smith almost opened the scoring for the visitors.

Afterwards, Filipa Patão’s men took control of the game again and the goal from Portuguese international and former Sporting member Carole Costa, in the 33rd minute, was the natural consequence of this.

Sporting reacted well to the goal conceded and shortly afterwards Olivia Smith, one of Sporting’s best players, hit the left post of Lena Pauels’ goal.

In the second half, the game remained lively, but there were also many stops, due to injuries that led Mariana Cabral to have to make three forced changes that had beautiful moments of fair play.

Sporting came very close to equalizing through Ana Capeta in the 62nd minute in a move in which Lena Pauels, Benfica’s goalkeeper, showed elasticity.

A few days after the demanding second leg of the Champions League quarter-finals with Lyon, the Reds seemed to lack some freshness, who gained new energy in the 78th minute, when Filipa Patão made four substitutions in one go.

With new blood, Benfica grew and came very close to the second goal on two occasions, but Sporting also never gave up in search of the draw that would take everything the same for the second leg.

The second game of the Portuguese Cup semi-final is scheduled for April 21st. The other semi-final pits Sp. Braga and Racing Power, who drew 0-0 in the first leg.