Benfica's under-23 side secured their first victory in the Next Gen League, beating União de Leiria 2-1, thus leaving the bottom place in the competition. The red and white team presented themselves with six changes to the starting eleven, changes promoted by Vítor Vinha that ended up bearing fruit.
Benfica practically started with a goal, with Tomás Soares opening the scoring at eight minutes. The forward, called up from the B team, received an excellent through ball from Isaac Ferreira who found him in behind the defence. A misread by Leo Mascaró, who didn't anticipate the rebound trajectory, made the Benfica player's finish easier.
União de Leiria reacted and equalized at 22 minutes. Tomás Bernardo showed great determination in a play that started after a ball recovery in the opposition's half. After Tauzy failed to finish in the best way, the 20-year-old midfielder recovered possession near the byline and set up Xavier Cavaco, who subtly deflected the ball into the back of the net.
