Olhanense travelled north to Lisbon more in hope than expectation, as the 64,000 Benfica fans who packed the Stadium of Light were in party mood, ready to hail their heroes as champions. Bottom club Olhanense, desperate for points to avoid automatic relegation, were without the influential Koldrup, Paulo Regula and Coubronne, missing through suspension.
In a nervous opening 45 minutes the Eagles had several chances to open their account, but a resolute Olhanense defence stood firm, with skipper Rui Duarte and Diakhite working tirelessly to stem the flow of attacks.
Ten minutes after the interval and, in the space of three minutes, the course of the game changed dramatically. The normally reliable Lucas Souza was dispossesed in midfield by Rodrigo, who fed the ball to Gaitan, who rifled a shot from the edge of the penalty area. The Olhanense keeper Belec dived to his right but could only palm the ball away. Lima was first to react and slot the rebound home. The stadium erupted and the fans began their celebrations.
Minutes later and Lima broke free down the right to make it number two when his tame shot slipped through the legs of Belec and over the line. Game over, although Olhanense to their credit continued to chase every ball. The celebrations began in earnest as the final whistle went and Benfica claimed their 33rd championship title.
Olhanense now entertain FC Porto on the weekend of the May 3-4 and the following week travel to Setúbal for the final game of the season. To avoid relegation, the only possible scenario for the Algarve team is to get at least three points and hope that fellow strugglers Paços de Ferreira lose both their games.
Celebrations worldwide as Benfica triumphs
There was standing room only at the Casa do Benfica cafés throughout the Algarve, where hundreds of local fans got ready to celebrate the championship title. In Tavira traffic was brought to a standstill as flares were set off outside the popular Café in Praça Bernardas. Elsewhere around the world there were parties in Brazil, London, Macau, Angola, Mozambique, Australia, USA and Canada.
The main celebration took place at the Marquês de Pombal roundabout in Lisbon, where thousands of fans welcomed the team’s open-top bus. And there was a funny moment involving eccentric manager Jorge Jesus, who got fully decked out in fancy dress and flags as the team partied with the fans on the streets. Jesus was so well disguised that a police officer mistook him for a fan, and was about to apprehend him until he realised he was manhandling the title-winning manager.
The players were back at work on Monday preparing for their Europa League semi-final against Italian giants Juventus.
By Chris Wright [email protected]
Photo: Larry Bawden
