One by one they hugged Mile Svilar who looked close to tears at the end. Players in both red and black embraced Benfica’s teenage No 1 and offered words of comfort.
The youngest goalkeeper in the history of the Champions League knew his European debut will be remembered for gifting Manchester United victory.
It was one that has put Jose Mourinho’s side within touching distance of the knockout phase and maintained their 100 per cent record in Group A, while almost certainly killing off Benfica’s hopes of progressing. Another win when the two teams meet at Old Trafford at the end of the month could confirm it.
Manchester United took the lead against Benfica in bizarre fashion when a long-range free kick from Marcus Rashford went in
Mile Svilar carried the set-piece from the left touchline over his own line, having looked uncomfortable all evening
Svilar looks guilty as the United players appeal for a goal, which provided the breakthrough in an otherwise dour game
The goal-line technology proved that the ball had clearly been carried in, giving United an extremely bizarre advantage
Rashford is congratulated on giving United the lead, which set them on their way to a third European win from three games
Benfica played 18-year-old Svilar in net, with the teenager the youngest goalkeeper in Champions League history
LINE-UPS, GOALS, BOOKINGS AND MATCH ZONE
BENFICA (4-3-3): Svilar 5; Douglas 6, Luisao 6.5, Ruben Dias 7, Grimaldo 5; Pizzi 5.5 (Zivkovic 59, 6), Fejsa 6, Filipe Augusto 6; Salvio 6.5 (Cervi 83), Jiminez 6, Gonçalves 6 (Jonas 69, 6)
Unused subs: Julio Cesar, Lopez, Samaris, Jonas, Seferovic
Bookings: Luisao 5, Goncalves 54
Red card: Luisao 90+2
Manager: Rui Vitoria: 5.5
MAN UTD (4-2-3-1): De Gea 6.5; Valencia 6, Lindelof 6, Smalling 6.5, Blind 6.5; Matic 7.5, Herrera 6.5; Mata 6 (Lingard 83), Mkhitarayan 5.5 (McTominay 90+2), Rashford 7 (Martial 76, 6); Lukaku 6
Unused subs: Romero, Darmian, Jones, Young
Goal: Rashford 65
Bookings: Valencia 41, Lingard 90+5
Manager: Jose Mourinho: 6
Referee: Felix Zwayer (Germany) 6
Star man: Nemanja Matic
Marcus Rashford caught out 18-year-old Benfica goalkeeper Mile Svilar from a free kick having tormented him from corners. For more stats and facts, check out our exclusive MATCH ZONE service by clicking here.
Svilar, conspicuous among the two sets of players in his all-white kit and red headband, held up his gloved hands to acknowledge the error. It occurred in the 64th minute of what was a poor spectacle on a windswept night in Lisbon.
Marcus Rashford swung over a free-kick from midway inside the Benfica half but could not have known that Svilar had got his bearings wrong. The teenager, who at 18 years and 52 days was younger than Iker Casillas when he made his debut in this competition, had ventured just a yard too far off his line.
It was enough to land him in trouble as the ball soared towards goal. He backpedaled and plucked the ball out of the air, but his momentum took him over the line.
‘He’s a phenomenon,’ said Mourinho, joining in the goodwill towards Svilar. ‘Only great keepers suffer goals like this because they risk things ahead of them. He has huge potential.’
United manager Jose Mourinho greets his Benfica opposite number, Rui Vitoria, before the game at the Stadium of Light
Before the game a minute’s silence was held in memory of 31 people killed in wildfires recently in Spain and Portugal
Romelu Lukaku holds a sign reading #EqualGame ahead of the match – the slogan was seen before all the games this week
Svilar went down with a knock in the opening minutes, but former QPR goalkeeper Julio Cesar was not needed off the bench
Ruben Dias – who needed his head bandaged after a collision in the early minutes – stretches to make a defensive clearance
The Belgian U19 stopper had looked awkward under set pieces all evening and was tested regularly by Rashford’s corners
The reality is that it dug United out of a bit of a hole on a night when they were strong on organisation but short of inspiration. Four days after parking the bus at Liverpool, they struggled to get out of first gear in Lisbon.
That won’t worry Mourinho too much. He insisted that the art of defending is underrated after another stubborn rearguard effort secured the result he wanted. David de Gea did not have to make a save of note.
‘I feel that sometimes defending properly is seen as a crime but it’s not,’ he said. ‘That’s why we controlled the game. The goal was not against the current.
‘But 12 matches, 10 victories, two draws, nine clean sheets. We’re not bad.’
Mourinho had tried to convince his players that Benfica were better than CSKA Moscow and Basle, but even he probably didn’t believe that was true. They are no longer the Benfica of old. Their own supporters know it and that was reflected in a half-empty Estadio da Luz.
Lukaku heads against the crossbar, however the in-form Manchester United striker had already been ruled offside
Benfica’s Ljubomir Fejsa in action against Juan Mata during an opening quarter of the game which was tight and chanceless
Alex Grimaldo holds off Henrikh Mkhitaryan as United struggled to make a breakthrough against their Portuguese opponents
Mkhitaryan shoots high and wide – the Armenian was among the United players who endured especially poor first halves
Full back Douglas of Benfica attempts to keep up with the pace of Rashford, who started on the wing for United
Rashford heads a rare first half opening up and wide of the crossbar as United toiled in the Lisbon rain to make openings
Soon after scoring, Rashford was forced off injured and is now a doubt for the weekend fixture against Huddersfield Town
United took half an hour to settle but were strong enough to withstand a lively start from Benfica in which Eduardo Silva swept a shot just wide from Alex Grimaldo’s cross.
They were wasteful in possession on the greasy surface and lacked any level of fluency. Even when United did finally make some inroads, there was precious little to excite their travelling fans.
Rashford headed over from Daley Blind’s out-swinging cross in the 32nd minute and Romelu Lukaku’s searching pass to the edge of the six-yard box was brilliantly hooked away from Rashford by Ruben Dias moments later.
Nemanja Matic had United’s best chance of the half, surging into the box past three defenders, but Svilar blocked the former Benfica man’s fierce low drive with his body.
If Mourinho had some words with his players at half-time, it seemed to bring a reaction from Rashford. The England striker began running at the Benfica back-line more directly and tested Svilar with a dipping volley before launching the free-kick that led to the goal.
Rashford was then forced off with a knee injury that could add to Mourinho’s problems. The United boss could still not resist a dig at his Premier League rivals.
‘There is another situation, maybe I’m guilty of,’ he said. ‘I never cry about injuries. Ibrahimovic, Pogba, Fellaini, Marcos Rojo.
‘Other managers cry and cry. I can cry but I don’t, so we do it with what we have.’
United were forced to defend a series of set-pieces from the Portuguese champions in the half hour that remained after the goal. It was not as comfortable as Mourinho suggested.
But job done, move on. The knockout stage beckons.
Nemanja Matic attempts a shot which was saved by the Benfica goalkeeper as United aimed for a third win in the group stage
United goalkeeper David de Gea gathers the ball under pressure from Benfica forward Eduardo Salvio in the second half
United captain Antonio Valencia is booked by referee Felix Zwayer in the 41st minute after a badly timed tackle
Defender Victor Lindelof, who started for United against his former club, battles for the ball with Benfica’s Filipe Augusto
Rashford is propositioned by a female Benfica fan – however it did not distract him from giving United the lead