SL Benfica stood firm in the face of a tide of pressure from FC København as Kostas Katsouranis' first-half goal proved enough to secure a 3-1 aggregate victory for the Portuguese outfit, and a place in the UEFA Champions League group stage.
Source: uefa.com - Battling Benfica deny København.
The hosts had started best, chalking up several chances in the first 15 minutes and looked the stronger team for much of the match but failed to convert their opportunities into goals.
Source: ESPNsoccernet - FC Copenhagen v Benfica Report
Shots at goal statistic: about 8 against 2. Unbelievable. On top of that, ref Eric 'Ajax loverboy' Braamhaar, missed calling the most obvious penalty I remember seeing. Some swift short passing brought Allbäck in a position clear for finishing but his man marker didn't hesitate kicking right at his supporting leg. If that wasn't a penalty, torture, maiming or otherwise violating a Geneva Convention is needed for one.
Luckily, Mr. Braamhaar didn't miss the opportunity to hand out a yellow card to Atiba Hutchinson for stating the obvious. And since when is blatantly handballing to deflect a mega-chance not a red card offense? OK, that might have been a tough call, but seriously. Silberbauer, I believe it was, was denied an enormous chance later in the game. Gee, I'm so sorry Braamhaar's Ajax also left the tournament 1-3 yesterday.
Good luck to Benfica.
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Lengthy match review: Goal.com - CL Report: Benfica Bring Champions Bacon Back From Copenhagen.
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