Benfica claim first win as Aguas-Santas fall short
Benfica beat Aguas-Santas 34:23 in Andebol 1 on Friday evening. The result marks the hosts' first victory of the campaign, while the visitors saw their unbeaten run end. By then, Benfica had already shown signs of vulnerability in their opening fixture.
The home side came into this match having lost both previous encounters with Sporting. They had dropped points against the Lisbon rivals in May and June, losing 24:31 and 39:41 respectively. And here's the thing about teams that start poorly — the psychological weight can be heavier than any tactical issue.
Aguas-Santas arrived with a draw against Avanca on Wednesday. Before that they had shared points with Valladolid and suffered losses to Dinamo Bucharest and Anayasona. To be fair, they had only played one league game before this, so the sample size is tiny.
The two sides have history. Benfica won 36:22 against Aguas-Santas in April and followed that with a 31:25 victory in May. But those results came months ago, and the current form tells a different story. The visitors had managed to grind out draws against European opposition, which suggested resilience.
Benfica now sit third with three points from one game. Aguas-Santas remain ninth with one point. The gap between them is clear, though the season is still in its infancy. What matters now is whether Benfica can build momentum from this win.
The scoreline suggests a comfortable performance rather than a hard-fought battle. Benfica controlled the tempo and found their rhythm after the opening setback. Aguas-Santas had chances to extend their unbeaten run but could not convert them when it mattered.