On January 11, in the fifth round of the Portuguese Cup, there was a strong conversation, with Benfica, ranked 2nd in the Portuguese Super League, playing at home against Braga, ranked 4th. Benfica fell behind in the eighth minute thanks to Joao Mario's unlucky own goal, but they eventually beat their opponents to win 3-2, with Rafa Silva, Cabral and Olsnes scoring one goal each.
All three of Benfica's goals in the game were spectacular, the first goal was a through ball from Kirkqu on the counter-attack, and Rafa Silva slotted home with a one-handed goal. In the second goal, Cabral got rid of the ball with his back in the box and scored with a volley. The third goal was also created by Cabrral, who cleverly played the ball with his back to help his team-mate open the scoring.
Benfica are on a six-game winning streak and are unbeaten in 11 games, the familiar Portuguese giants are back, and Schmidt's side are finally finding their groove. A 3-2 game made Ronaldo full of regrets! Portugal's forward midfielder broke out: 20 goals in 28 games, refusing to play in the European Cup.
For the captain of the Portuguese team, Cristiano Ronaldo, Rafa Silva announced his retirement from the national team at the age of 29 last year, which is a big loss for the Portuguese team. Rafa Silva is a player who can play in multiple positions in midfield, playing as a midfielder, winger, etc., with a wide range of movement, wide vision and great skill.
Rafa Silva is currently in his prime, making 28 appearances for Benfica this season, with 11 goals and nine assists per game. No one in the Benfica team has scored more goals than Rafa Silva, and no player has more assists than him, and Rafa Silva, who is worth 18 million euros, is the true nucleus of Benfica.
Rafa Silva was part of Portugal's 2016 Euro-winning squad, and when Portugal were unable to score in the last European Championship against Hungary, Rafa Silva came on as a substitute in the 70th minute to score a brace and create a penalty to give Portugal a 3-0 start to the tournament.
Rafa Silva missed last year's World Cup after his withdrawal from the Portuguese team, and if nothing else, this year's European Championship will also be without Rafa Silva. Rafa Silva is now on his mind at Benfica and the Portuguese national team respects his decision. Rafa Silva's club team-mate Joao Mario also made the same decision.