Benfica 3-1 Lech Poznan. Benfica made it four wins from four in the Europa League, beating Lech Poznan 3-1 at the Estadio da Luz as Rafa Silva struck early and substitutes Gianluca Prestianni and Georgiy Sudakov combined to finish the job late on.
Marco Silva's Benfica are quietly becoming the team nobody wants to draw. Twelve points from twelve, twenty shots and ten on target here — this was a controlled, ruthless performance against a Lech side who briefly threatened a comeback before Benfica's bench slammed the door. The key events are listed on Sportradar's match page and theScore's event page.
Rafa sets the tone, then the bench takes over
Benfica started like a side that expected to win. Rafa Silva put them ahead after just six minutes, and the Eagles controlled the rest of the first half without extending the lead, going in 1-0 up at the break. The game changed just after the hour, and it changed because of Marco Silva's substitutions. Rafa made way, Georgiy Sudakov came on — and five minutes later the Ukrainian had created the second goal, setting up fellow substitute Gianluca Prestianni to make it 2-0 on 67 minutes. Two changes, one goal: the kind of bench impact that wins European ties.
Bengtsson gives Lech hope, Sudakov ends it
Lech refused to fold. Leo Bengtsson came off their bench and scored within a minute of entering the game on 72 minutes, halving the deficit and giving the travelling fans real hope of a famous point. But Benfica never panicked. They kept the ball, kept Lech at arm's length, and in the 90th minute Sudakov — provider turned finisher — scored the third himself to complete a dream cameo: on as a substitute, an assist for Prestianni, then the goal that killed the contest.
The numbers underline how complete Benfica's control was. Twenty shots to Lech's handful, ten of them on target, and a tempo the Polish side could only match in bursts. Rafa's early goal let Benfica play the game at their pace, and when that pace finally needed raising in the last half hour, Marco Silva did not ask his starters to find another gear — he simply changed the players. Prestianni brought the direct running, Sudakov brought the vision, and between them they produced a goal, then another assist, then the clincher. It is the luxury every coach in this competition wants and very few actually have: a bench that does not protect a lead but extends it.
So what does this mean for Benfica and Lech?
Benfica's perfect record puts them in total control of their league-phase destiny. Four wins from four, with squad depth that produces goals from the bench, is exactly the profile of a side built for the knockout rounds — and results elsewhere, like Anderlecht's 2-0 win over Salzburg, only underline how valuable banking twelve points this early really is. Automatic qualification for the last 16 is now theirs to lose.
For Lech, there is pride in the fight — Bengtsson's instant impact off the bench gave them a lifeline — but pride does not pay in points. Conceding six minutes in and again in the 90th minute is a lesson in concentration at this level: switch off at the start or the end of a game at the Estadio da Luz and you get punished. They leave Lisbon with nothing, and their margin for error in the remaining fixtures has all but vanished.
Beyond the Final Whistle: Benfica's starters set the platform but their substitutes won the game — Sudakov assisted Prestianni five minutes after coming on, then scored the third himself. That is title-contender depth. Are Benfica now the favourites to win the Europa League outright? Let us know in the comments.
