Benfica lose opener to ten-man Academica

(GSM) – Portuguese giants Benfica started their domestic campaign in the worst possible way, losing their home match 1-2 to a ten-man Academica side.

Coimbra-based Academica silenced the Lisbon crowd with an opening goal from Miguel Fidalgo in the 26th minute but knew that things could get difficult when David Addy conceded a second yellow card five minutes after the break.

When Franco Jara netted the equaliser two minutes after the hour, home fans expected their team to complete the turn-around and finish this game in style.

But instead of doing so, it was Academica to score a winning goal through Laionel in the final minute for a 1-2 shock result.