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Benfica provide Hearts clash verdict after Tynecastle draw

· Ben Banks · 2026-08-14T11:10:32+00:00 · nguồn gốc

Benfica send Hearts clash verdict after Tynecastle draw as boss fires a rocket after 'noticeable' difference Benfica were at Tynecastle on Thursday as Hearts held the Portuguese giants to a draw. Benfica boss Marco Silva admits he expected more from his side in their Europa League third round qualifier second leg draw with Hearts. The Portuguese giant won 6-1 at home to all but end the tie in a competitive sense, but the Jambos put in a good second leg showing, securing a 1-1 draw. It meant the tie ended 7-2 on aggregate and Hearts will face Rapid Vienna in the Conference League play-off round but Silva was frustrated by how difficult the second half proved to be for his visiting Benfica side. He said: “The first half was better than the second. In the first half, we saw some very positive things: we managed to dominate, control the game well, and create opportunities, plus another shot that hit the post. The number of opportunities wasn't as high as in recent games, but it was enough to put us ahead at halftime. The second half wasn't positive. Benfica on draw vs Hearts “Basically, looking at both halves, we're much more satisfied with the first half. The second half wasn't up to the level we're capable of. We expected some players to have some difficulty keeping up the pace of the game, and that was noticeable when we didn't have the ball. We weren't as aggressive with the ball as we've been in recent games, and clearly there are players who need to gain that ability. “They haven't played enough minutes to be able to maintain the intensity, with and without the ball, that we want. We progressed to the next round as we wanted, that was the objective, with a home win and an away draw. We wanted to come here and win and keep the result from the first leg, but we couldn't. In general, the qualifying round is over and, at the same time, it allowed us to see players and manage them. “Not wanting to be thinking about the next game already, but it allowed us to do that for Monday's game as well. After the result we achieved in the first leg and the excellent game we played, we knew we had to be serious and ambitious to try and win , but at the same time, it allowed us two things. “To give minutes to players I wanted to see competing—it's different seeing them, I wanted to give them as many minutes as I could. We made seven changes, which always have an impact from one game to the next. Of those seven players, six hadn't started a single game this season, and that was very important for us.