UCL: Benfica Beat Napoli 2-0 in UEFA Champions League

Rios and Barreiro fire Benfica to second win

Benfica secures win over Napoli in UEFA Champions League, goals from Rios and Barreiro. Benfica's dominant performance earns 2-0 win over Napoli, keeps play-off hopes alive.

Antonio Conte made changes at halftime, bringing on Leonardo Spinazzola and Matteo Politano...

Benfica secured a dominant 2-0 win over Napoli, thanks to goals from Rios and Barreiro, earning their second win of the League Phase. The victory marks José Mourinho's third win in eight meetings against Italian coach Antonio Conte.

Benfica dominated the early stages, creating chances and should've opened the scoring within the first 15 minutes. Despite their strong start, Napoli's defense held firm, and the first half remained goalless.

Fredrik Aursnes had early chances, but Napoli's Vanja Milinkovic-Savic made crucial saves, and Franjo Ivanovic's shot curled wide. Aursnes struggled with finishing, dragging another shot wide with the goal at his mercy.

Benfica broke the deadlock just before halftime, when Richard Rios poked home after Ivanovic's header and a lofted ball into the box. The goal came after sustained pressure from the hosts, who continued to probe for more chances.

Napoli's first real chance came through Giovanni Di Lorenzo, who headed wide from a Noa Lang cross. Benfica continued to push, with Nicolas Otamendi's wild volley going high and wide as they sought to extend their lead.

Two wins in a row for Benfica 🦅#UCL pic.twitter.com/jV5wf6Oxg1

— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) December 10, 2025

Antonio Conte made changes at halftime, bringing on Leonardo Spinazzola and Matteo Politano, but Benfica's lead was doubled just five minutes into the second half, as they continued to dominate possession and create chances.

Benfica's goal came after Napoli's Alessandro Buongiorno headed the ball into Anatoliy Trubin's hands following a corner. Trubin quickly sent the ball upfield, sparking a spectacular team move that ended with Ríos sliding the ball to the front post, where Leandro Barreiro finished with a sublime backheel flick.

Napoli struggled to respond, and it wasn't until the 71st minute that they had a notable chance, when David Neres cut inside and unleashed a powerful shot from the edge of the box, which Trubin palmed over the bar.

Benfica nearly sealed the win late on, but Vangelis Pavlidis' effort was tipped around the post, and Milinkovic-Savic made another crucial save. In the end, Benfica controlled the remaining minutes, securing their second win of the UCL League Phase.

The win keeps Benfica in contention, just a point away from the play-off places, while Napoli remains in 23rd place.