Thousands of people wearing red took to the streets of Lisbon this Saturday after the Benfica were crowned champions of the Portuguese League for the first time in four years after beating the bottom team Santa Clara (3-0), the 38th title in its history.
In an Estadio da Luz without an empty seat, the first huge wave of euphoria was registered in the 7th minute, when Gonçalo Ramos, with a header, opened the scoring. In the 28th minute, Rafa extended the score for the team coached by German Roger Schmidt, while the third and final one was signed by the Spaniard Alejandro Grimaldo, who converted a penalty in the 60th minute.
The “eagles” left the Estádio da Luz in an open-top coach carrying the cup and arrived early Sunday morning in the central Marqués de Pombal square, where many fans of all ages cheered them on after an anxious wait. more than five hours. Once there, the players stood on a stage amid torches and fireworks while chanting “champions” over and over to the crowd.
T-shirts, scarves, flags and flares make up the red tide that colors the heart of the Portuguese capital, prepared hours before the massive arrival of the “encarnados” and their fans.
Exactly, the Lisbon City Council established this week that the square, as well as part of Avenida Liberdade and Avenida de la República, two of the city’s main arteries, will be closed to traffic from 5 pm on Saturday to 5 am on Sunday.
The restrictions have even affected the opening hours of this Saturday’s Lisbon Book Fair, which since Thursday occupies the Eduardo VII park, a few meters from the Marqués de Pombal square. A strong police operation supervised the celebrations, which did not register major conflicts.
However, Lisbon was not the only one to witness the festivities, as thousands of other fans took to the streets of various Portuguese cities to celebrate Benfica’s victory amid cheers and fireworks. The team led by German Roger Schmidt is putting an end to a season in which they dominated the standings.
Source: La Verdad
I’m Rose Herman and I work as an author for Today Times Live. My expertise lies in writing about sports, a passion of mine that has been with me since childhood. As part of my job, I provide comprehensive coverage on everything from football to tennis to golf.
