Soccer-Boys from Seixal help Benfica to another Portuguese title

Futebol Clube do Porto Futebol SAD

18/05/2019 22:40

By Goncalo Almeida
    LISBON, May 18 (Reuters) - A group of young and ambitious
players who came through Benfica's famous youth academy in
Seixal, south of Lisbon, helped the team secure Portugal's
Primeira Liga title on Saturday, a victory celebrated by fans
across the country.
    Benfica coach Bruno Lage took a leap of faith in January
this year by giving a chance to Seixal-based youngsters,
elevating them to the club's first-team squad. 
    "It was crucial to have younger players in the first team,"
Lage told reporters after their 4-1 victory over Santa Clara.
    "It's important for others young players from Seixal to
believe that it's possible to reach the main team in the future.
    "It was a huge achievement for us and especially for the
fans who have supported this group of young people immensely."
    The key to Lage's success was uncovering the potential of
19-year-old Joao Felix, who trained at the youth academy, giving
him a role in the team that helped him to find space between the
lines and behind main striker, Haris Seferovic. Together they
scored 38 goals and contributed 12 assists.    
    Benfica also moulded 21-year-old centre back and Portugal
international Ruben Dias, who has developed into a key player
for the Lisbon club, making 60 appearances this season
    Players including Manchester City's Bernardo Silva and
Ederson, Juventus' Cancelo and Bayern Munich's box-to-box
midfielder Renato Sanches are just some to have come through
Benfica's youth academy in Seixal, which was founded in 2006. 
    Lage, 43, took other important youth players from Seixal,
including 19-year-old Florentino Luis, a defensive midfielder
who has been linked with a move to Manchester City and
20-year-old Jota, a creative winger who previously had a trial
at Manchester United.
    Benfica had a disappointing start to the season under former
coach Rui Vitoria, suffering three defeats in 15 games, leading
to his departure in January. 
    Lage shook things up, making Benfica the highest scoring
team in the Primeira Liga, with a remarkable 72 goals in 19
games without losing since he took charge, winning times and
drawing once.
    Turning an inflexible 4-3-3 formation into a dynamic 4-4-2,
Lage brought right-footed Portuguese winger Rafa to life by
moving him to the left side, which allowed midfielder Pizzi to
attack more freely on the right.
    Benfica regained first place in the table after beating
former champions Porto away in March, a pivotal result in their
journey to winning a 37th Primeira Liga title, with 87 points.
    In terms of goals scored, the season was one of their best
in decades, boosted by a 10-0 win against Nacional. 
    Despite their domestic success, Benfica failed in European
competition. 
    After being beaten by Bayern Munich and Ajax Amsterdam in
the Champions League group stage, Benfica dropped into the
Europa League.
    They reached the quarter-finals where a 4-2 home win against
Eintracht Frankfurt in the first leg of their last-eight clash
was not enough to put them through after losing 2-0 away. 

 (Editing by Catarina Demony and Toby Davis)
 ((Goncalo.Almeida@thomsonreuters.com;))