Benfica left the 2-0 win over V. Guimarães with more than three points. It was the eighth round of the championship, coming after the three-week break for national team matches, and it gave Marco Silva a better sense that his summer work and squad rotation are starting to pay off.
Echeverri's impact off the bench
Claudio Echeverri came on in the 61st minute and set up the second goal for Sudakov. That assist took his season return to two in 47 minutes, across only two appearances, which is hard to ignore for a player who is still settling in at the club.
He is on loan from Man. City until the end of the season, with a purchase option worth €21 million. In a side that still needs reliable attacking options, those are the sort of early numbers that get noticed quickly.
Sudakov and Circati give Silva more to work with
Marco Silva said of Georgiy Sudakov, speaking to A Bola in comments translated from Portuguese, "He played much less time [than in other matches] and ended up scoring a goal, football has these things. He had been looking for this moment for some time, it ends up not being a relief, but an important moment for him,"
Sudakov returned early from the Ukraine national team after an ankle sprain in his right ankle, so the goal carried a bit of weight. It also ended a wait that stretched back to 5 December 2025, when he scored the equaliser in the derby against Sporting at Estádio da Luz.
There was another encouraging sign in defence. Alessandro Circati started and played 90 minutes alongside Tomás Araújo, which adds to the sense that Silva is getting real options in different parts of the team.
Benfica now host Celtic on Thursday in the 2nd round of the Europa League. With Echeverri offering an immediate spark and Sudakov off the mark again, Silva goes into that match with a deeper bench and a little more confidence in the pieces around him.
Written by Sam Whitfield with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 1 outlet. How we work →
