PortuGOAL Figure of the Week: Roger Schmidt’s Benfica seal Primeira Liga triumph | OneFootball

Liga Bwin 2022/23 came to its conclusion this weekend with many key positions decided, but still the round of matches provided plenty to be keeping an eye out for during the closing of the curtain on another memorable season in Portugal.

Arouca’s magnificent campaign ended superbly as they leapfrogged Vitória Guimarães to finish in 5th place. The relegation places had already been decided, with recent escapees from the predicament Estoril and Gil Vicente amongst those recording comfortable victories.

Elsewhere the small matter of the destiny of the league title remained in the balance, but leaders Benfica never really looked like giving up their premiership with a comprehensive defeat of Santa Clara being enough to secure the champions honours. Their manager Roger Schmidt has been a much-needed breath of fresh air at the club, and the German is in focus as our final PortuGOAL Figure of the Week of the campaign.

On paper Roger Schmidt looked a very shrewd appointment for Benfica in the summer of 2022, the German having taken charge of some esteemed European teams such as PSV and Bayer Leverkusen. The coach faced a big task with the Eagles however, who were experiencing a barren patch by their standards in terms of their perennial ambitions of being Portugal’s top side.

Three seasons had gone by in which Benfica had to watch their bitter rivals Porto and Sporting claim the league titles, and it was obvious this was Schmidt’s main brief upon his arrival in Portugal, his first managerial experience in the country. What followed was a quite sensational start to the campaign, as Benfica shot to the top of the Primeira Liga standings, remaining unbeaten going into the winter World Cup, with a highly impressive Champions League group stage win ahead of fellow giants PSG and Juventus to boot.

Schmidt had achieved this with a fine blend of more pragmatic stoicism where required whilst not sacrificing the attacking flair that the Benfica crowd demand. Old hands Rafa Silva and João Mario were back firing at their best, whilst the cultivation of young talents such as Gonçalo Ramos and António Silva have seen the pair rise towards the top of many of Europe’s biggest teams’ shopping lists.

The German has been astute in the transfer market too, most notably in bringing Norwegian utility man Fredrik Aursnes to plug many gaps and more in what appeared an increasingly well-oiled machine week on week. The momentum continued initially after the World Cup, with Benfica looking champions elect.

Regrettably for Schmidt and Benfica their high ambitions of European glory came to a disappointing end, although reaching the quarter finals of the Champions League can be considered a very respectable achievement, even if their exit to eventual finalists Inter was somewhat tame. The more optimistic Benfiquistas had started to talk about reaching the final, but a safer bet for online sports betting enthusiasts was domestic success.

A wrinkle in domestic form ran concurrently with the European demise, a notable issue for Schmidt to navigate, especially as their slump in form opened the door to nearest challengers Porto in what appeared a foregone conclusion of a title race. The boss eventually navigated those tricky waters but still Benfica required a result on the final weekend of the campaign to secure the title glory they had looked destined to achieve for so much of 2022/23.

In truth, Schmidt could scarcely have picked a more welcoming fixture in which to wrap matters up, a home tie with already-relegated Santa Clara, although it must be said the Azoreans had given Braga a fright at the Quarry a couple of weeks previous. Schmidt and Benfica held their nerve however, and in reality any danger of a monumental upset was quickly quashed.

Ramos got the ball rolling as early as the seventh minute to settle any jitters, a simple headed finish from the fit-again Danish full-back Alexander Bah’s cross.

Just before the half hour mark Benfica pulled further clear with a brilliant counter-attacking goal. Aforementioned pair João Mário and Rafa linked superbly during the move, the latter ultimately firing a deflected effort beyond a helpless Gabriel Batista in the Santa Clara goal.

In the second half an Adriano handball in the box gave Benfica the chance to truly seal the match, and with it the Liga Bwin title. Left back Álex Grimaldo, soon to depart for the Bundesliga, signed off from duty with the soon to be champions in the perfect way, slotting home from the spot to cue emotional celebrations.

A comfortable afternoon for Benfica as many expected as As Águias claimed their first league title since 2019, and their 38th overall.

A fairly stellar first season in charge for Schmidt then with the number one goal for the campaign achieved. Still, there will be a tinge of disappointment as to how some of their cup adventures concluded, which should serve as fire in the belly for this squad and staff to go on and aim to better their achievements this time next year. There’ll be plenty of work for the German to do, replacing Grimaldo being a key call to make whilst Ramos and António Silva will of course be in quite some demand in the coming weeks. Whether Schmidt can keep that duo or not, the manager has surely earnt more than enough trust to select and cultivate the replacements after his fine opening impression on Portuguese shores.

@JFarrFutebol