Quiet First Half, Then Benfica Take Over
Not much happened for the first 45 at Estádio Algarve. Benfica and Villarreal traded the ball around, neither side really forcing anything, and it went into the break scoreless. Second half was a totally different story, though. Benfica woke up, scored twice, and closed out a 2-0 win to wrap up their pre-season on a high note.
Marco Silva needed a response here. Benfica had lost their opener 1-2 to Flamengo a few days earlier, a game Silva mostly used to look at the newcomers rather than chase a result. This one mattered more — last friendly before Europa League qualifiers kick in next week, so getting something out of it counted for a bit more than usual.
Rafa Silva and Pavlidis Break It Open
Took until the 52nd minute for the game to properly open up. Rafa Silva got the breakthrough, finishing well to put Benfica ahead, and the home crowd finally had something to cheer for after a fairly flat first half. Villarreal tried to respond, pushed a bit more after going behind, but couldn’t find an equalizer, and Benfica made sure of things in the 76th minute when Vangelis Pavlidis added a second. Pavlidis has been in good touch this pre-season — he’d already scored from the spot in the Flamengo defeat — and this one just extended that run.
From there Benfica managed the game out comfortably, rotating players late with Bah, António Silva and Dahl all coming off for fresh legs, and Villarreal never really threatened a way back into it.
What It Means Next
Good way for Benfica to head into the business end of pre-season — a clean sheet, two goals from players who needed the confidence, and a much better overall performance than the Flamengo game. For Villarreal, this was always more of a squad-testing exercise under new coach Iñigo Pérez, who’s been giving minutes to youth players and fringe squad members throughout the summer, including this one. They’ll have PSV Eindhoven, Como and Galatasaray still to come before their season starts for real.
Match Summary
Benfica 2-0 Villarreal Club Friendly — Estádio Algarve, Faro, Portugal Friday, 17 July 2026
Goals: 52′ Rafa Silva (Benfica) 1-0 76′ Vangelis Pavlidis (Benfica) 2-0
Result: Benfica close out pre-season with a 2-0 win, bouncing back from their opening friendly defeat to Flamengo.
For live club friendly scores and pre-season coverage, visit fawanews. Full results and fixtures at the official Benfica website.
