Weverson late goal stuns Benfica as Arouca secure well-earned point at the Estádio da Luz | OneFootball

Benfica 2-2 Arouca

The supporters voiced their frustration at the final whistle but SL Benfica have only themselves to blame after dropping two critical points at the Estádio da Luz against FC Arouca. The home side gave up the lead twice in the second half, with goals from Jason and Weverson giving Arouca a rare and well deserved point at a stadium where they have historically struggled.

The result sees Benfica equal Sporting on 69 points at the top of the table, but lose their outright lead after the weekend results.

A 4-1 demolition of FC Porto last week saw Benfica achieve their ninth consecutive win in the league, a fact that Arouca and their supporters would have been well aware of coming into Sunday’s encounter. With a dominant performance at the Estádio do Dragão, Benfica would have been confident coming into this match. However, a late strike from substitute Weverson left the home supporters stunned, and now gives the Lions the advantage in a closely contested title race.

Sahir Bhojwani reports from the Estádio da Luz.

Flowing first half fails to produce opening goal

Following a cagey start, Benfica were able to produce their first attempt in the 12th minute with Kerem Aktürkoğlu forcing a smart save from goalkeerer Nico Mantl. Perhaps more impressive than Mantl’s stop was defender Alex Pinto's clearance on the line after a well placed header from the resulting corner, with Tomás Araújo missing the glorious opportunity on that occasion. Incredibly, just three minutes later Vangelis Pavlidis forced another goal line clearance to somehow deny Benfica the opening goal.

Arouca pushed back with a couple of shots of their own, with their best chance falling to Morlaye Sylla. The Guinean winger was dangerous down the left side in the first half and produced an excellent curling shot with his right foot when an opportunity fell to him in the 19th minute, forcing a fully stretched Anatoliy Trubin to tip the ball over the bar.

As the game progressed Benfica took control and the best opportunity of the half fell to Pavlidis in the 38th minute. Some fancy footwork in the penalty box saw the forward shake off his man. Unfortunately, his curling shot bounced off the post. That allowed Arouca to regroup and go into half with the match level.

Orkun Kökçü breaks the deadlock to give Benfica advantage

Benfica would have been favoured to break the deadlock in the second half but it was Arouca that produced the fist shot on goal, which was well saved by Trubin in 47th minute. That was followed by another powerful shot by Trezza, with the Ukrainian keeper pushing the ball over the bar to concede a corner.

Benfica looked out of sorts coming into the second half with their open formation allowing Arouca to take the initiative. However, it turned out to be a magical piece of skill from Carreras down the left wing that unlocked the match. The Spaniard has been one of Benfica’s most consistent players over the course of the campaign and was able to lose his defender down the left side in the 60th minute. Carreras could have gone for goal himself, but decided to cut back a pass to Fredrik Ausmus who set up Kökçü with a perfectly weighted pass. The Turkish midfielder hit it first time, delighting the fans with a glorious shot that ended up in the top corner.

Costly error from Nicolás Otamendi allows Arouca back in the match

Benfica seemed to be in control when a costly mistake from Otamendi provided the visitors with a glimmer of hope. Sylla was once again involved, providing a well timed pass for a surging Jason down the left hand side. When Otamendi recklessly dived in on Jason and missed the ball completely, the referee had no option but to award the visitors a penalty. Yalçin stepped up to convert from the the spot.

Benfica regain lead with late Pavlidis’ header

A double substitution from Bruno Lage in the 76th minute seemed to have the desired effect. With stikers Belotti and Pavlidis both on the field, Benfica pushed forward to secure what would have likely been the deciding goal. Pavlidis has been known to score the occasional goal or two and the Greek striker delivered his 25th of the season with a collected finish in the 79th minute, connecting with a cross from Kökçü at the back post to send the home supporters into a frenzy.

Weverson late goal stuns Benfica

Benfica seemed to have done enough to secure a vital win and stengthen their grip on the title race. Arouca, however, had other plans. The visitors had been bold and played some great football on the night, but few could have predicted Brazilian Weverson’s 95th minute goal. With the clock ticking down, the subsitiute found himself completely open at the far post after a low cross from Nandin somehow cruised across the box untouched. Weverson was calm and composed connecting perfectly and placing the ball into the top right corner to leave the home supporters stunned.

Benfica 2-2 Arouca highlights

SL Benfica: Anatoliy Trubin, Tomás Araújo, Nicolás Otamendi, António Silva, Álvaro Carreras, Florentino Luís (Andreas Schjelderup, 76'), Orkun Kökçü, Ángel Di María (Andrea Belotti, 76'), Fredrik Aursnes (Arthur Cabral, 90), Kerem Aktürkoğlu (Bruma, 89'), Vangelis Pavlidis (Leandro Barreiro, 89')

FC Arouca: Nico Mantl, Alex Pinto, Jose Fontán, Boris Popovi, Amadou Danté (Weverson, 83'), Pedro Santos, Taichi Fukui (Mamadou Loum, 89'), Alfonso Trezza (Dylan Nandín, 83'), Jason Remeseiro (Miguel Puche, 89'), Morlaye Sylla, Güven Yalçin (Brian Mansilla, 83')

[1-0] Orkun Kökçü, 60'