Benfica 2-0 Napoli Highlights, UEFA Champions League: Rios Shines As Eagles Sink Partenopei – As It Happened

Welcome, football fans! This is the start of our live blog covering Benfica’s match against Napoli in Lisbon. The Italians are looking to take one step further towards qualification, while the hosts are desperate to keep their European campaign alive. Stay tuned for pre-match updates and line-ups as they are released.

• Fixture: Benfica vs Napoli, Matchday 6

• Venue: Estadio da Luz, Lisbon

• Date: Wednesday, December 10, 2025

• Time: 1:30 AM IST (December 11)

• Live Streaming: SonyLIV

• Live Telecast: -

Benfica and Napoli have played each other five times, with Napoli winning four of those games compared to just one victory for Benfica. Their last meeting was in the UEFA Champions League in the 2016-17 season, with Napoli winning 2-1 in Lisbon.

Starting XI: Anatoliy Trubin; Amar Dedic, Nicolas Otamendi (c), Tomar Araujo, Samuel Dahl; Enzo Barrenchea, Richard Rios; Fredrik Aursnes, Leandro Barreiro, Georgiy Sudakov; Franjo Ivanovic.

Bench: Samuel Soares (gk), Antonio Silva, Manuel Silva, Gianluca Prestianni, Joao Veloso, Joao Rego, Vangelis Pavlidis, Andreas Schjelderup.

Starting XI: Vanja Milinkovic-Savic; Sam Beukema, Alessandro Buongiorno, Amir Rrahmani; Giovanni Di Lorenzo (c), Eljif Elmas, Scott McTominay, Mathias Olivera; David Neres, Rasmus Hojlund, Noah Lang.

Bench: Nikita Contini (gk), Mathias Ferrante (gk), Juan Jesus, Leonardo Spinazzola, Matteo Politano, Anotnio Vergara, Lorenzo Lucca, Guiseppe Ambrosino.

Referee Slavko Vincic blows his whistle, and Napoli get tonight's fixture underway at Estadio da Luz. Stay tuned for live updates from the game!

A big early chance for Benfica. Aursnes did very well to run with the ball before palying it back for Ivanovic. The Croatian forward pulls the trigger from inside the box, but it's a bit too central and is saved by Milinkovic-Savic. The rebound falls to Aursnes, who tries to curl it towards the far corner, but it flies wide of the post.

Another massive chance for Benfica!! It was a moment of madness for Milinkovic-Savic, with the goalkeeper passing it straight into the path of Aursnes. The Benfica player, possibly caught a bit off-guard, takes it onto his left foot but manages to hit the side netting.

Napoli's nervy defending costs them, and Richard Rios finds the back of the net – his first goal in the UEFA Champions League and only his second goal for Benfica. A good ball into the box is not cleared by McTominay, and it ricochetes off into the path of Rios, who pokes it past Milinkovic-Savic.

Napoli are slowly finding their foot in the game. Lang did well to float in a lobbed cross into the box. Di Lorenzo arrived at the far corner and jumped over Dahl to meet the ball, but it crept just wide of the far post. The skipper seems to have hurt himself in the process.

The tempo of the game has really dropped down at the moment. Ivanovic has a sight of goal, but his shot is blocked. The rebound falls to Aursnes, but his wild effort is deflected behind.

From the resulting corner, the ball was played to Otamendi, who attempted a scissor kick, but it hit a Benfica player, before a wild effort sends it over the bar.

Slavko Vincic blows the half-time whistle, and Benfica make their way into the tunnel with a one-goal cushion. The home side had a number of chances before taking the lead through Rios. Napoli, meanwhile, have not threatened at all.

The referee blows his whistle, and Benfica get the second half underway. A double change at the break for Napoli, with Conte bringing on Matteo Politano and Leonardo Spinazzola in places of Beukema and Olivera. Can the Serie A holders mount a fight back in the second half? Stay tuned!

Barreiro doubles Benfica's lead with a slick move!! Ivanovic did well to play the ball to Richard Rios, who was completely unmarked. The Benfica forward then cut it back across the face of goal, where Barreiro got the slightest bit of touches that took it past Milinkovic-Savic.

We have approaced the hour mark in the game, but Napoli are yet to really make their mark in the contest, with Mourinho pretty much neutralising their forward and midfield threat. However, Conte has opted to shuffle backline again, with Juan Jesus replacing Buongiorno.

Needs must at the this for Conte, who brings on another centre-back in Lorenzo Lucca, who replaces the yellow-carded Lang. Benfica make a double change, bringing on Antonio Silva and Pavlidis. Making the way are Ivanovic and Sudakov.

Benfica look more likely to score their third goal rather than Napoli pulling one back at the moment. Pavlidis goes past a defender before pulling the trigger from the edge of the box, but Milinkovic-Savic is alert and gets down to keep the danger away. The Italians make their final change as Antonio Vergara comes on in place of Elmas.

The referee blows his whistle, and Benfica have sealed a dominant win on their home ground. The Eagles now go within a point of Napoli, with two league phase matches still left to play. Mourinho earlier said that he will continue to fight as long as his side are mathematically in contention, and this win will go a long way in that fight.