Forward with 8 goals for Benfica ends up heavily criticized: "He's no good"
Glorioso 1904 – Se é notícia do Benfica, está aqui26 August 2026 at 15:20
Brazilian striker Marcos Leonardo, a former Benfica player, is being severely criticized in the Netherlands for his performance at Ajax. Signed for 20 million euros from Al Hilal, the player has only scored one goal in six games, which led Valentijn Driessen, sports editor-in-chief of the Telegraf, to state that "the striker cost almost twenty million and doesn't know how to play," adding that "it was no coincidence that Benfica sold him." In the opposite direction, former Dutch international Rafael van der Vaart defended the Brazilian on the Rondo program, showing himself more optimistic about his potential.
SC Braga secured a goalless draw away to Austria Wien in Vienna, ensuring progression to the next phase of the Europa Conference League. In the second leg, the Portuguese team recorded only one shot on target, committed 34 fouls without receiving any cards, and managed the result to secure qualification.
Benfica secured qualification for the league phase of the Europa League by beating Aarhus 3-1 in Denmark, repeating the result from the first leg. The goals were scored by Prestianni (two) and Rafa, while Carstensen scored for the Danish team. The league phase draw will take place in Monaco on Friday.
The "Minho warriors" drew zero-all in Vienna against an Austrian team, a result sufficient to guarantee passage to the league phase of the Europa League Conference, after they won the first leg 2-0.
André Villas-Boas, president of FC Porto, considered the Champions League draw as "always difficult", but argued that the weight of the dragons' history demands a good campaign in the European competition.
