Benfica Vs Avs: Preview and Barrenechea-led 3-0 win at the Luz
benfica vs avs combined a tense recent week for Benfica with a controlled 3-0 victory at the Estadio da Luz, and the club now seeks to move past a midweek controversy. The coverage below draws from the latest match and the lead-up, including disciplinary and league details.
By Adeyeye Oluwapelumi | 19 Feb 2026 23: 51, Last updated: 20 Feb 2026 13: 25
Benfica Vs Avs match summary
Benfica beat AVS 3-0 at the Estadio da Luz in the 23rd week of the Portuguese League. Alexander Bah opened the scoring in the 11th minute, Enzo Barrenechea struck in the 30th minute from a corner, and Rafa Silva scored in the 43rd minute. The home win increased Benfica’s points to 55 and represented a third consecutive league victory for the club.
Barrenechea's influence explained
Enzo Barrenechea’s 30th-minute goal came from a corner: he ghosted into the box to meet Richard Ríos’ headed pass and guided a left-footed finish into the bottom right. Barrenechea finished the match with four attempts, two on target, and completed 70 of 77 passes, including 24 successful final-third deliveries. He also fed Andreas Schjelderup between the lines for a driven effort that Adriel tipped over, attacked a Rafa cross and glanced a header wide in the 70th minute, and had a skidding effort from distance saved by Adriel in the 81st minute.
Rafa Silva and Alexander Bah details
Rafa Silva’s 43rd-minute goal was his first for Benfica; he played his sixth match for the club. Alexander Bah struck in the 11th minute to give Benfica the early lead. The three goals produced a clear 3-0 scoreline at the Luz and underlined Benfica’s attacking edge in this fixture.
Context: midweek controversy and discipline
Benfica had arrived at the match trying to put a controversy-laden midweek clash with Real Madrid behind them. The Eagles suffered a 1–0 defeat in Tuesday’s fiercely contested first leg of the Champions League knockout playoff. That contest reached a boiling point when Vinicius Junior’s goal celebration appeared to provoke a reaction from sections of the home support and the Eagles’ players, with Gianluca Prestianni at the centre of controversy after the match was briefly halted following allegations that he directed a racial slur towards the Brazilian forward. Investigations are set to follow, and Benfica have publicly backed Prestianni. Separately, Benfica will be without Prestianni for the domestic fixture after he picked up his fifth booking of the Primeira Liga campaign.
Benfica's domestic form and standings
Benfica remain third in the Primeira Liga on 55 points and are the only side yet to taste defeat in the league this term. Last weekend’s 2–1 victory at Santa Clara marked a fifth win in six top-flight outings in 2026 (D1) and extended the Eagles’ unbeaten run in the competition to 37 matches (W27, D10), dating back to their defeat against Casa Pia on matchday 19 last season. The result also trimmed the gap to the summit to seven points and to second place to three points. At home this season Benfica have won seven of their 11 league matches (D4) but have dropped points against sides battling for survival, drawing with Santa Clara, Casa Pia and Rio Ave.
AVS struggles and recent form
AVS, the basement side from Vila das Aves, had earlier secured their first top-flight victory of the campaign by thrashing in-form Estoril Praia 3–0 at the Estadio do CD Aves last weekend, courtesy of second-half strikes from Diego Duarte, Tomane and Angel Algobia. That win delivered Joao Henriques’s first victory since his appointment in December after eight previous outings without success (D2, L6). Despite that positive result, AVS remain rooted to the foot of the table, 12 points adrift of safety, having scored just 18 times — the third fewest in the division — while conceding a league-high 54. Thirty-one of those shipped goals have come on the road, where AVS have lost eight of their 10 Primeira Liga away fixtures this season. AVS have been beaten in three of their previous four meetings with Benfica (D1), conceding nine across the last two encounters without reply. The club has also been referenced as AFS in match reporting and as AVS SAD in some coverage; AFS was listed as remaining at 8 points in one report.
Next fixtures and immediate priorities
Benfica have a Champions League second leg in Spain next week as they look to overturn their deficit against Real Madrid, and separate reporting notes Benfica will visit Real Madrid in the Champions League next. For domestic competition, one report says Benfica will visit Gil Vicente in the next league match. AVS are scheduled to host Estrela Amadora in Liga Portugal, and one match summary stated AFS will host Estrela at home.
Jose Mourinho was also referenced in the build-up: he guided his side to a dramatic victory over his former club three weeks ago to clinch one of the final qualification spots at the expense of the Galacticos’ top-eight ambitions. The Real Madrid tie, the domestic win and the disciplinary situation surrounding Gianluca Prestianni frame Benfica’s immediate focus.
benfica vs avs combined competitive context, a standout midfield performance from Enzo Barrenechea and the milestone first goal for Rafa Silva with broader league and disciplinary storylines shaping both clubs’ short-term priorities.
