Benfica meet Chelsea, who beat Basel in the other semi-final, in the final in Amsterdam on 15 May.Fenerbahce will be left ruing their failure to take a greater advantage over to Portugal after they controlled the first leg in Istanbul.The ball hit the hand of unsuspecting Benfica defender Ezequiel Garay as he challenged for a high ball, allowing Kuyt to confidently fire into the bottom left corner.However, despite a dominant performance it was far from comfortable for the Portuguese side, as the tie remained dramatically poised right until the final whistle.Benfica boss Jorge Jesus claimed he was concerned about his players suffering from fatigue before the game as the Portuguese leaders are aiming to clinch a treble of winning the Primeira Liga, Portuguese Cup and the Europa League.As the match moved into its final minutes another goal for the Turkish side would have levelled the tie 3-3 on aggregate and Fenerbahce would have progressed on the away goals rule.Benfica forward Lima evaded a poor Fenerbahce offside trap to pick out Gaitan, who exquisitely met the cross first time to prod in with the outside of his left boot from 12 yards.But the visitors failed to fully test Benfica goalkeeper Artur as the home side completed a deserved win to spark joyous celebrations at the Estadio da Luz.
No comments:
Post a Comment