Marítimo 0–3 Benfica | Liga Portugal | 05 September 2026

Result Summary

Benfica delivered a composed and authoritative performance in Madeira, defeating Marítimo 0–3 to claim all three points with something to spare. Leandro Barreiro Martins was the standout performer, netting a brace either side of half-time, before Gianluca Prestianni Gross added a late third to put the gloss on a dominant away display.

Match Analysis

Benfica's control of this fixture was evident from the opening minutes. With 60% possession and an 85% successful pass rate compared to Marítimo's 76%, Marco Alexandre Saraiva Da Silva's side dictated the tempo throughout. Their 101 attacks to Marítimo's 86, and 37 dangerous attacks versus 21, underline just how one-sided the contest was in terms of genuine threat creation.

Leandro Barreiro Martins set the tone early, finding the net with a composed left-foot shot just seven minutes in to silence the home supporters. That early strike appeared to knock the wind out of Marítimo, who struggled to respond and managed only one shot on target across the entire 90 minutes, compared to Benfica's six.

The match entered a contentious spell just before half-time, with three yellow cards arriving in quick succession — Vladan Danilović (40') and Igor de Carvalho Julião (42') booked for Marítimo either side of Heorhii Sudakov's booking for Benfica (41'). This reflected a period of growing frustration from the hosts, and Mitchell van der Gaag's side accumulated 22 fouls in total — a sign of the pressure they were under.

An early substitution in the 17th minute saw Benfica replace Alexander Bah with Jakub Kamiński, suggesting a tactical tweak rather than an injury concern, and it barely disrupted their rhythm. Barreiro Martins doubled the lead in the 71st minute, this time with a header assisted by Vangelis Pavlidis, sealing what had looked inevitable for much of the second half. Further changes from both benches followed, and Gianluca Prestianni Gross capitalised on the space that opened up to drive home a right-foot shot in the 82nd minute, completing a thoroughly professional away performance.

Marítimo's 22 fouls and multiple bookings — including the cards for Danilović and Julião, both of whom were substituted off — paint a picture of a team that resorted to physicality when outclassed technically. Despite 3 corners and 6 total shots, the hosts never truly threatened to get back into a game that Benfica controlled with relative ease.

Prediction Review

Our pre-match analysis forecast a Benfica win (0–2) with a confidence level of 65/100, and the prediction was validated. The away side's win probability was assessed at 73%, reflecting their clear superiority in squad depth and Liga Portugal form. The final margin of 3–0 exceeded our projected scoreline slightly, but the directional call was accurate. The statistics — particularly the shot-on-target ratio of 6 to 1 in Benfica's favour — confirm that the margin of victory was entirely deserved and arguably could have been wider.

Key Takeaways

• Leandro Barreiro Martins was the decisive force, contributing goals at 7' and 71' to anchor the result.
• Marítimo's defensive structure crumbled under sustained pressure, evidenced by 37 dangerous attacks conceded.
• Benfica's squad depth proved valuable, with impactful substitutions maintaining momentum in the second half.
• Marítimo's disciplinary issues — five combined yellow cards — reflected their inability to compete on technical terms and their reliance on physicality.
• Benfica look well-positioned to maintain a title challenge if this level of control continues in away fixtures.