What the press in Portugal had to say about Rangers' draw with Benfica

Darwin Nunez took all the headlines in Lisbon with his late equaliser grabbing a draw for Benfica and maintaining a Europa League record last night.
Benfica's Nicolas Otemendi fouls Ryan Kent and is subsequently red carded during  the UEFA Europa League match between Benfica and Rangers (Photo by Gualter Fatia / SNS Group)Benfica's Nicolas Otemendi fouls Ryan Kent and is subsequently red carded during  the UEFA Europa League match between Benfica and Rangers (Photo by Gualter Fatia / SNS Group)
Benfica's Nicolas Otemendi fouls Ryan Kent and is subsequently red carded during the UEFA Europa League match between Benfica and Rangers (Photo by Gualter Fatia / SNS Group)

But while much of the attention focussed on the Uruguayan, and Eagles coach Jorge Jesus, one Rangers man was singled out for praise – and it wasn’t the record-breaking Alfredo Morelos.

While Darwin Nunez ‘transformed the Eagle’, in opposition Ryan Kent received high praise from Notícias ao Minuto as the surprise of the match. The newspaper wrote: “He often plays in the shadow of Morelos , a striker who was once in the accounts of FC Porto, but this 23-year-old boy with Liverpool career was one of the pleasant surprises of the meeting. Without fear of shooting, without fear of risking the opponent, it deserves a special note.”

Ryan Kent was hailed as the 'surprise of the match' by the Portuguese press.Ryan Kent was hailed as the 'surprise of the match' by the Portuguese press.
Ryan Kent was hailed as the 'surprise of the match' by the Portuguese press.
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Writing in Observador, Bruno Roseiro added: “And Rangers, better in all chapters and with a way of playing to privilege the “big field” since they started to have a numerical advantage, he was creating opportunities for the rout, either because of Benfica's demerit from the back (Kent won the ball and, in the area, hit the post) or by the merit of the Scots for the two-way combinations touches that overcame lines between the visitors until the conclusion (Kent again had a good chance but the shot ended up on the side).

"They did not score and still suffered, at the insistence of Darwin Núñez.” And he added: “Benfica was a terror in defense, had no action in the attack and was at risk of being thrashed.”

Much focus was on the lacklustre performance of the home side before Nunez’s introduction and in Sol Laura Ramires discussed the “increasingly complicated life,” for Benfica when Rangers took "advantage of the disorganization of the red.”

In Record - Rui Dias summed Benfica up by stating Darwin helped them avoid ‘another debacle’.

He added: “A poor performance, conditioned by premature expulsion, widespread passivity and strange indifference to the difficulties that the game was dictating, did not inhibit Benfica to draw a tie that was virtually lost. Given the tendency outlined by a duel in which none of the participants played at the level of their quality, for the reds the tie fell from the sky.

And added: “The Scots, did not really need to play much to build the result.”

Despite warm words for Kent, Noticias ao Minuto criticised Steven Gerrard, writing: “With Otamendi expelled and with a second half to come with the 3-1, he seemed to have the goal controlled, but let himself fall asleep on the bench and in the field. The 3-3 result does not correspond to the greater dominance of Scots, but is accepted by the incompetence of the visitors.”

Ojogo focussed on Benfica’s home record and highlighted “the Scottish Rangers were only the fifth team that managed not to lose, after Marseille (2009/10), Tottenham (2013/14), Galatasaray (2018/19) and Shakhtar Donetsk (2019/20).

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“The remaining 19 formations gave way and several "giants" of European football passed through the "cathedral", such as Juventus, Paris Saint-Germain or Liverpoolall in the first Jorge Jesus era.”

However there seemed widespread relief for the home side and A Bola described the draw as "conquering ‘an important point for the qualification’ for the next phase of the Europa League.”

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