In the first matchday of the UEFA Europa League league phase, Lisbon's Benfica secured a convincing away victory over Milan at the famous San Siro stadium. The match between two legendary giants, in terms of prestige and tension, fully lived up to Champions League standards, yet it was the Portuguese side that managed to rewrite the historical head-to-head record in their favour. Prior to this encounter, the two teams had met nine times: Milan had five wins, Benfica one, with three draws in between, and the goal difference stood at 13:7 in favour of the Rossoneri. This time, the visitors managed to break that streak.
The central clash of Matchday 1
Both teams approached the match with maximum ambition. The sides coached by Ruben Amorim and Marco Silva stepped onto the San Siro pitch with the intention of making their mark in the new edition of the tournament. Benfica's starting lineup featured two Ukrainian legionaries — goalkeeper Anatoliy Trubin, who returned to the first team by the head coach's decision, and midfielder Heorhiy Sudakov, for whom this match was his eleventh of the season for the club. It was precisely their performance that became the key factor in the Portuguese triumph.
Early goal and Sudakov's activity
Benfica started the match more aggressively and was already leading by the 16th minute thanks to a powerful strike by Dodi Lukebakio from outside the penalty area. Heorhiy Sudakov injected energy into the visitors' attack, actively building up plays. In the 24th minute, the Ukrainian midfielder was on the verge of scoring his own goal: he caught the Milan defence and goalkeeper off guard with a quick shot from the edge of the box, but the ball smashed into the left post. Sudakov continued to influence the game until the 70th minute, after which he was replaced by Gianluca Prestianni.
Trubin as the guarantor of a clean sheet
One of the standout performers of the match was Anatoliy Trubin. In the 28th minute, the Ukrainian made a spectacular save after a powerful shot by Filippo Terracciano towards the crossbar, and at the end of the first half he calmly dealt with a strike by Alfadjo Sissoko. In the second half, the goalkeeper had the fans on edge after sustaining an injury and requiring medical attention, but he continued playing. Immediately afterwards, Trubin neutralised a dangerous shot by Christian Pulisic and handled a series of heavy Milan corners with confidence, keeping his goal intact.
Doubling the lead in the second half
In the second half, Benfica doubled their lead thanks to a goal by Jakub Kamiński in the 53rd minute. After that, the Portuguese side confidently controlled the flow of the match, and Trubin's reliable goalkeeping prevented Milan from narrowing the gap. The final 2:0 victory was a significant success for Benfica as they opened the Europa League league phase.
The significance of the win for the Ukrainian line
The triumph at San Siro was a demonstration of the contribution of the Ukrainian legionaries to the team's result: Trubin's reliability in goal and Sudakov's activity in midfield directly influenced the outcome of the match. For Benfica, it is a confident start to the new edition of the tournament, while for Trubin and Sudakov it is confirmation of their key role in the squad of the Portuguese giant.
