Otamendi Sees Red in Famalicão - Benfica VAR Review
Nicolás Otamendi was sent off in famalicão - benfica after a VAR review, and Benfica were left with 10 players in a match tied to their Champions League race in Minho. The defender went hard into Mathias de Amorim before Gustavo Correia checked the incident and reached for the red card.
Otamendi and Mathias de Amorim
The call changed the match state immediately. Otamendi had already stepped into a challenge on de Amorim, and the review left Benfica with a man short at a point when they had been controlling the game and trying to attack the space behind Famalicão's two central defenders.
That attacking plan had already created openings. Schjelderup delivered a dangerous cross that nobody finished, while Gustavo Sá missed a headed chance after a cross from Sorriso at the other end. Those moments showed the game had already opened up before the sending-off forced Benfica to adjust.
Fábio Silva Stops Play
The match was also interrupted for five minutes when Fábio Silva, Gustavo Correia's assistant, was injured. Diogo Araújo stepped in as the fourth official after Silva left the field, adding another break to a contest that had already lost rhythm before the red card.
Moments like that matter because they strip away any chance to settle into a pattern. Benfica were still trying to work the space behind Famalicão's back line, but the combination of the injury stoppage and Otamendi's dismissal left the visitors with less time and fewer bodies to keep pressing that advantage.
Realpe and Dedic
Famalicão had already taken a route through the middle of the pitch when Mathias de Amorim scored with his right foot after a long throw from Realpe. The ball deflected off Dedic before ending up in Trubin's goal, a finish that came from a sequence Benfica could not clear cleanly.
Gil Dias was later replaced by Romeo Beney, Simon Elisor gave way to Umar Abubakar, Andreas Schjelderup came off for Alexander Bah, and Prestianni was replaced by Enzo Barrenechea. Those changes followed a match that had shifted from Benfica control to damage control once Otamendi was dismissed and the side dropped to 10 players.
For Benfica, the red card is the sharpest turning point in a match that had been framed by their Champions League chase in Minho. The sending-off did not just remove a defender; it cut into a game plan built around pressure in Famalicão's half, and it left the visitors carrying the burden of a result after the VAR review changed everything.
