On Tuesday evening, Burnley won a friendly match against Roger Schmidt's Benfica. The team, led by Vincent Kompany and Wout Weghorst, emerged victorious in Lisbon with a 2-0 scoreline, thanks to goals from Owen Dodgson and Hjalmar Ekdal.
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The match was not played at Benfica's impressive stadium but elsewhere in the Portuguese capital; Estadio do Rostelo served as the venue. Quite a few people showed up to support Benfica, with ex-Feyenoord players Orkün Kökçü and Fredrik Aursnes starting in the lineup. However, there was little to cheer about in the first half, as the match against Burnley, with Weghorst leading the attack, saw a few chances but no goals.
In the second half, Schmidt brought in former Ajax player David Neres, but the visitors struck quickly. A well-placed shot by Dodgson opened the scoring, and ten minutes before the final whistle, Ekdal sealed the victory. The match ended 0-2, a commendable win for the newly promoted team in the Premier League.
Benfica will conclude their preparations next Sunday with an exciting fixture, especially for Kökçü and Aursnes, as they will face the champions of the Netherlands. The real action starts in just over two weeks with the Supercup match against FC Porto. Burnley still has friendlies scheduled against Real Betis and FSV Mainz 05 before their league campaign kicks off on Friday, August 11th, with a significant match for Kompany: champion Manchester City will visit Turf Moor, the club where the Belgian played from 2008 to 2019.
Updated: 11:02, 26 Jul 2023
