In match 3 of the qualifying round, Spartak hosted Benfica at home. In this confrontation, all experts preferred the Portuguese club. Spartak has problems with the implementation of chances. And the defense does not always withstand active action from the rivals' forwards.

Match highlights of the 3 qualifying round of the Champions League: Spartak - Benfica

As expected, Benfica started the game actively. Spartak withdrew, giving the ball to the opponent. Muscovites counted on counterattacks.

Review of the first half of the match 3 qualifying round of the Champions League: Spartak - Benfica

The guests began by intensifying actions on the flank of Rasskazov. Benfica organized a dangerous moment in the opening of the match. Spartak responded in the 8th minute with a kick by Larson on target of Benfica. The Portuguese, represented by Gosalves, organized a dangerous attack in the 9th minute. It ended with a shot on target. Maksimenko coped with the opponent's blow.

The first 15 minutes passed with a slight advantage of the guests. On the 17th minute, Pizzi shoots wide of the gate. Benfica uses high pressure. Maksimenko could not play a free kick from the goal through a short pass. After the clearances, Benfica immediately took the ball. Almost all rebounds remained behind her.

Still, Spartak's counterattacks were sharp. On the 25th minute Umyarov shot tightly on target. Vlachodimos draws and parries the blow. On the 27th, Rafa Silva misses the target. On the 31st minute, Alex Grimaldo breaks through. Again - by.

On 42 minutes Sobolev and Larsson push past. At the end of the half, Spartak seemed to wake up. He turned on the pressure. Shots on goal appeared. True, Dzhikia, almost carried Umyarov off the field. He hit his partner on the leg. As a result, Umyarov had to ask for help. But they did not change it right away, they waited for a break. The arbiter adds 2 minutes. First half result: 0 - 0.

Review of the second half of the match 3 qualifying round of the Champions League: Spartak - Benfica

The beginning of the half turned out to be a failure for Spartak. On 51 minutes, Rafa Silva shoots the hosts' goalkeeper. Benfica scores the first goal of the match. The guests took the lead: 0 - 1. On 56 minutes, Gonsalves misses the target. There was a controversial moment right before this blow. Due to the absence of the VAR, the referee did not see the violation of the rules in the penalty area. No penalty was assigned.

The first 15 minutes of the second half, Spartak frankly failed. The players could not get hold of the ball. They lost him even without much pressure from the opponent. On the 60th minute, Gonçalo Ramos shoots on target. True, into the hands of Maksimenko.

Nevertheless, on 62 minutes Bakaev managed to strike towards the goal. Not exactly. At the 70th minute, there was another controversial moment. The ball falls into the hands of two Spartak players. The referee ignored and did not appoint the 11-meter. Again, the absence of VAR plays in the favor of Spartak. On the 70th minute, Gonçalo Ramos does not shoot accurately.

On the 72nd Moses shoots on target. After a corner kick, Jikia hits his head, straight into the hands of the opponent's goalkeeper. Yet on 73 minutes, Gilberto scores the first goal for Benfica. It is unpleasant that it is Spartacus. The guests increased the advantage: 0 - 2.

On the 76th, Hendrix shoots wide. On the 83rd Gonçalo Ramos breaks not exactly. The arbiter added 3 minutes. On 90 + 3 minutes, Everton shoots on target. As a result, Spartak lost the first match of the 2-match confrontation with Benfica. Match result: 0 - 2.

On August 10, Spartak will play a return leg in Lisbon.