Vincent Kompany was pleased with the way Bayern Munich attacked at home to Benfica in the Champions League on Wednesday, despite only winning 1-0.

The victory ended a run of back-to-back defeats for the German team in the competition, leaving them 17th in the league with six points from four matches. 

"It's important for us to win a game this way. In the past, we always scored three, four or five goals, but today we stayed calm," Kompany told the official club website.

"We had 24 shots on goal and the opposition had one. Not every finish was dangerous, but we controlled the game. There are games in which the last pass just isn't as precise as necessary.

"We know we can decide matches within the first five minutes if we're on good form. That didn't happen today. But in the end, it's the Champions League. It was a good game and a good win."

Midfielder Jamal Musiala scored the only goal of the game in the 67th minute, turning home Harry Kane's knockdown after Leroy Sane had played the ball across the box.

Sane is yet to start a game in any competition for Bayern this season, coming on in the 56th minute on Wednesday, but his contribution was not lost on Kompany.

"Obviously, I'm really happy to have the quality of Leroy Sane and Michael Olise in the same position - not to forget Kingsley Coman and Serge Gnabry. You can say Leroy turned this game around today," he said.

The goalscorer Musiala, meanwhile, was pleased after scoring his fifth goal in all competitions for the club this season.

“We had good moments, but the opposition played and defended well. Of course, there are still things we can improve, but it's important to have won the three points," he said.

"I don't know what's going on with me scoring headers at the moment. The ball dropped nicely for me a few times and I just keep trying to get into good positions I can score easy goals from.

"We all knew we had to win tonight and we did a good job. We had a tough time settling into the game, but we can't win by four or five goals every time. Sometimes a 1-0 win has to be enough.”

Jamal Musiala scored a header in the second half to give Bayern Munich a crucial 1-0 home victory over Benfica in the Champions League on Wednesday.

Germany international Musiala scored with a bullet header from close range in the 67th minute with Bayern dominating and missing several chances before eventually breaking the deadlock.

Musiala’s chance was set up when Harry Kane headed Leroy Sane’s cross back across the face of goal.

The result was much needed to get Bayern’s campaign back on track, with the win seeing them bounce back from suffering two consecutive defeats in the competition – against Aston Villa and Barcelona – for the first time since 2017.

A win lifted the Germans to six points from four matches and into 17th place with Benfica, who were toothless in attack, also on six points in 19th place.

Europe's top club competition has switched from a group stage to a league phase this season, where 36 teams play eight matches each. The top eight in the table progress directly to the next round, while the next 16 teams enter a two-legged playoff.

Bayern have a crunch clash against Paris Saint-Germain next in the competition on November 26.
 

Data Debrief: Unlucky 13 for Benfica

Benfica have now played 13 major European matches against Bayern and have never tasted victory, collecting only three draws and suffering 10 defeats.

That trend rarely showed signs of ending in this match, with Benfica not threatening. The visitors failed to register a shot on target for the first time in 45 Champions League matches. The last time they did not trouble the goalkeeper in this competition was in October 2017 against Manchester United. Bayern, by comparison, racked up 10 attempts on target.

Benfica also only had four touches in the opposition box, their lowest tally on record since Opta started recording that data in the Champions League in 2007-08, with Bayern tallying 51.

As for Kane, the assist means he has now been directly involved in 80 goals across all competitions (61 goals, 19 assists) since the start of last season. That is 16 more than any other player across Europe’s biggest five leagues in this period.

Vincent Kompany is eyeing a place in the top eight of the new Champions League format with Bayern Munich despite back-to-back losses in the competition. 

Bayern welcome Benfica to the Allianz Arena on Wednesday, hoping to recover from defeats to Aston Villa and Barcelona, the first time they have failed to win consecutive games in the competition since April 2017. 

Kompany's started their Champions League campaign with a 9-2 thrashing of Dinamo Zagreb, but have since plummeted down the new league table. 

They find themselves 23rd after three matches. However, they have fared better in the Bundesliga, sitting three points clear at the top of the table after nine games. 

"What we know is you have to win around six (of eight) games to reach the top eight," Kompany said. 

"You have to win three games and that should be enough for the playoffs. My goal is to reach the top eight."

Bayern last failed to reach the Champions League knockout stages in 2002-03, finishing bottom of a group that featured Deportivo La Coruna, Lens and Milan. 

But despite their stuttering start in the competition so far, Kompany said the new format plays no role in the team's planning. 

"I don't want to think too far ahead because we have enough games," Kompany said.

"We have to win against Benfica. I don't want to spend too much time thinking about what could happen in January.

"No one knows how it will work. We only know we want to win tomorrow. We play at home. That is my only goal."

Bayern, however, have every confidence of getting their European campaign back on track, with the German outfit boasting an impressive record against Benfica. 

They have played 12 major European matches against Benfica and have never lost (W9 D3). 

But Bruno Lage's side will be looking to buck that trend, having beaten Atletico Madrid and Red Star Belgrade so far, but they did lose to Feyenoord last time out. 

"We have a lot of confidence going into this game. We will always adapt and take the steps that are right for the team," Kompany said. 

"But to say we will change everything is not serious. We just want to win again at home. 

Feyenoord's players may not fully realise the enormity of their surprise Champions League victory at Benfica, says head coach Brian Priske.

Antoni Milambo scored twice, becoming the first Feyenoord player to net an away Champions League brace since 2000, while Ayase Ueda was also on target in a 3-1 victory for the Eredivisie side in Lisbon.

It was a second successive away win for Feyenoord in the competition's new-look league phase, and they are up to 16th in the 36-team table.

"This is certainly a great victory. I don't know if we realise how great it is until the heart rate drops a bit and we can enjoy it," said Priske, who was appointed after Arne Slot left for Liverpool.

He struggled initially but has now seen them to four successive wins in all competitions.

"This [Benfica] is a very big club in Europe, with top quality players and a great stadium. This is really a great achievement," said the Danish-born coach.

"The mentality of these boys is incredible. I am very proud of them, how we kept fighting after they pulled one goal back and were mentally strong enough to pull the match over the line with the 3-1 win."

Hailing his players' defensive work, Priske continued: "First of all, you have to work hard, suffer, take on some pain when they have the ball, sacrifice yourself for the team and defend really well. 

"And then offensively we also needed to take moments to outnumber them in the midfield, see if we could outplay them and create some danger.

"Credit to the players. I think they showed all the elements that I talk about here. It's a massive result, but also a performance that shows everyone in our dressing room that we were capable of a lot of things."

Feyenoord’s next Champions League game is at home to Austria's Salzburg, who have lost their opening three games, on November 6.

Antoni Milambo scored twice as Feyenoord claimed an impressive 3-1 victory over Benfica at Estadio da Luz.

Ayase Ueda was also on target for the Eredivisie side, who moved level with their opponents on six points after the opening three matchdays.

Feyenoord broke through in the 12th minute when Igor Paixao cut the ball back for Ueda to slot home.

The Japan international had a second goal chalked off following a VAR review before the visitors doubled their lead on 33 minutes, when Milambo cleverly skipped away from Nicolas Otamendi before finishing.

Benfica, who opened their campaign with back-to-back wins, pulled a goal back at the midway point in the second half, with Timon Wellenreuther parrying Jan-Niklas Beste's effort straight to Kerem Akturkoglu, who made no mistake from close range.

Wellenreuther made smart saves to deny the hosts as they pushed for an equaliser, before Milambo sealed the points with his second goal of the game in stoppage time.

Data Debrief: Milambo matches Tomasson as Feyenoord halt Benfica streak

Benfica had won each of their last six matches in all competitions, but Bruno Lage's side could not prevent Feyenoord from winning successive away games in Europe's premier club competition for the first time since 1971.

Ueda broke the deadlock in the 12th minute with what was the Eredivisie side's earliest goal (excluding own-goals) in a Champions League away game since Sebastian Pardo netted just four minutes into their victory over Newcastle United in September 2002.

Milambo then took centre stage, becoming the first Feyenoord player to score twice in a Champions League away game since Jon Dahl Tomasson against Lazio in February 2000.

Benfica midfielder Renato Sanches is due to return from injury in Wednesday's Champions League tie against Feyenoord, head coach Bruno Lage said on Tuesday.

Sanches suffered a hamstring injury in training last month and missed Benfica's last six matches, including their wins over Red Star Belgrade and Atletico Madrid in their opening two Champions League matches.

"Let's be very clear about this, because we have nothing to hide. Renato has been doing a lot of work. We had predicted that he could return a little earlier, then a little later, but I can confirm that Renato will be involved for the game against Feyenoord," Lage said.

Sanches, who was a teenage prodigy at Benfica, has struggled for consistency since his record transfer to Bayern Munich aged 18 in 2016.

He has since played for Swansea City, Lille, Paris Saint-Germain and Roma before the French giants loaned him back to Benfica this campaign.

Lage said only defensive midfielder Leandro Barreiro would be missing from the Benfica lineup for the match due to a thigh injury.

Benfica are on a run of six successive victories, with their 4-0 home win over Atletico earlier this month one of the surprise results of the early stages of the new-look Champions League competition.

"It is important to highlight that the work we did ahead of the Atletico match happens for every game," Lage said.

"First, we understand what we did well in our previous game, and we study the opponent in detail. We define the strategy, practise it and look to instil confidence in the players. That's what we do for every game, be it in the championship, in the Champions League or in the cup.

"We are confident, we've prepared very well and our confidence comes from the fact that when we transmit our ideas to the players, they feel confident that they can play a good game," added Lage, who returned to coach Benfica last month after Roger Schmidt was fired.

Lage was Wolves manager in the Premier League in the 2021-22 season and briefly into the next campaign, before losing his job after a run of poor results.

"My time in the Premier League gave me experience that I didn't have before, but that's part of any coach's experience," he told reporters.

"The more experience we have, the more we will learn. The way I work, we learn a lot from the assessments we make of our opponents, but above all from our own team."

Jan Oblak hit out at a "pitiful" performance from Atletico Madrid after their 4-0 loss to Benfica in the Champions League.

Benfica recorded their joint-biggest victory in a Champions League home match (alongside 5-1 vs Club Brugge in March 2023), as Atletico suffered their heaviest ever defeat to Portuguese opposition in the competition.

Atletico had only four shots, failing to get any of them on target, and mustered just 0.24 expected goals (xG).

Benfica, on the other hand, had 19 shots and accumulated 4.46 xG.

While Diego Simeone believed there were positives to take, Oblak, who made six saves to keep the scoreline from getting even more humiliating, was far more scathing of Atletico's display in Lisbon.

"It's pitiful to lose like this, it's not a good image to give and there's not much more to say. We weren't good today, to say the least," Oblak told Movistar Plus.

"Sometimes games like this happen, but we can't afford it because we gave a woeful impression today. I don't have a single positive thing I can say today.

"We didn't show up and there's not much more to say. Nobody is saved from what happened today, we have to accept it and move forward."

Simone accepted Atletico "played badly", but did feel it was not all doom and gloom.

"I always like to think positively and I think it's a good opportunity to keep improving," Simeone told Movistar Plus.

"We had been doing a very good job, today we didn't play the game we expected, but we have to keep going.

"We played badly. We have to accept that. We didn't play well, the substitutions didn't give us the spark that they gave us at other times. We played badly, they were better and we have to accept that.

"There was no lack of tension, attitude or desire to run, we just played badly and when you play badly you are exposed to losses like this.

"We had been doing a very good job and today the game that you don't want to see appeared.

"Some nights are not good and we have to accept them and try to learn from what we had to go through today and recover energy for Sunday's LaLiga game [at Real Sociedad]."

Benfica put on a brilliant display in a 4-0 Champions League demolition of Atletico Madrid on Wednesday, taking them to two wins from as many games in the competition.

Bruno Lage's side ran riot in Lisbon as Kerem Akturkoglu, Angel Di Maria, Alexander Bah and Orkun Kokcu all got on the scoresheet against a shell-shocked Atleti team.

A mistake by Atletico's defence led to Akturkoglu taking in Fredrik Aursnes' pass unmarked in the area to slot home a 13th-minute opener, while Vangelis Pavildis missed a huge chance to double Benfica's advantage in first-half stoppage time.

However, Conor Gallagher's 50th-minute foul on Pavildis granted the hosts another chance to go 2-0 up from the spot, and Argentina great Di Maria made no mistake against Jan Oblak from 12 yards.

Di Maria was then denied by Oblak from a tight angle as Benfica continued to press for more goals, and they were out of sight in the 75th minute as Bah headed Jan-Niklas Beste's corner home.

The rout was complete eight minutes from time as Reinildo fouled substitute Zewki Amdouni to grant Benfica another penalty, which Kokcu blasted into the top-left corner.

Benfica are flying high in third in the competition's new league phase, behind Borussia Dortmund and Brest only on goal difference, while Atleti are a lowly 23rd on three points.

Data Debrief: Atleti's road struggles continue

Diego Simeone will be furious with Atleti's defending after they conceded four goals in a Champions League game for the first time in four years, since a 4-0 loss at Bayern Munich in October 2020.

It was Benfica's joint-biggest margin of victory in a home Champions League game (alongside a 5-1 thrashing of Club Brugge in March 2023), and Atleti's heaviest-ever defeat to Portuguese opposition in the competition.

On their travels, Atleti have now won just one of their last 10 Champions League matches (two draws, seven losses). With their next continental road trip taking them to Paris Saint-Germain on matchday four, that record simply must improve.

An early goal from winger Kerem Akturkoglu and a superb free-kick by his fellow Turkey international Orkun Kokcu earned Benfica a 2-1 Champions League victory at Red Star Belgrade on Thursday.

Akturkoglu opened the scoring for the Portuguese side in the ninth minute, converting a cross from close range at the back post.

His compatriot Kokcu then doubled their advantage just before the half-hour mark with a meticulously placed free-kick from 25 yards out, picking out the top-right corner.

Red Star reduced the deficit when Felicio Milson was played through and scored from close range four minutes from time, but they were unable to find an equaliser at the death.

Data Debrief: Turkish first for Benfica

Goals from Akturkoglu and Kokcu ensured this was the first time two Turkish players had ever scored for a non-Turkish club in a Champions League match.

Kokcu, meanwhile, is on his way to earning a reputation as a dead-ball specialist. 

Since the beginning of the 2021-22 season, no player has scored more direct free-kick goals in major European competitions than Kokcu's two, with this his first in the Champions League.

David Neres has completed a permanent move from Benfica to Napoli, the Serie A club confirmed on Wednesday. 

Neres, who scored 17 times across a two-year spell with the Portuguese side, has signed for a reported £23.8m fee with add-ons potentially increasing that to £25.5m.

The Brazilian registered 15 goal involvements (five goals and 10 assists) for Benfica last year as they finished second in the Primeira Liga and won the Portuguese Super Cup. 

He created 31 chances in the league last season, while also completing 34 dribbles, a total only bettered by Joao Neves (41), Rafa (51) and Angel Di Maria (55). 

Neres has been brought in to provide creativity and goals from the wide positions alongside Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, with Napoli netting 55 times in Serie A last season, 34 less than champions Inter. 

The 27-year-old becomes Gli Azzurri's third signing of the transfer window following the arrivals of Alessandro Buongiorno and Rafa Marin, with it expected they will complete a deal for Chelsea's Romelu Lukaku in the coming days.

After failing to defend their Serie A crown last season, Napoli welcome Bologna to the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona this Sunday in their opening league game. 

Paris Saint-Germain have completed the signing of Joao Neves from Benfica.

The 19-year-old joins the Ligue 1 champions in a move worth up to €70million, putting pen to paper on a five-year contract.

He signed for Benfica in 2016, moving through the youth ranks before making his first-team debut in December 2022, helping the team to win the Primera Liga in 2022-23.

Last season, Neves established himself as a first-team regular, making 33 appearances, netting three goals, and creating 25 chances in the Portuguese top-flight.

"I'm very proud to be joining Paris Saint-Germain, a very ambitious club," Neves said.

"I'm going to give my all to help my team-mates, to grow at this fantastic club and to win numerous titles."

Neves is PSG's second signing of the transfer window, after goalkeeper Matvey Safonov's arrival in June.

Benfica president Rui Costa has said that a bid has been tabled for the services of 19-year-old midfielder Joao Neves. 

Neves, who featured in Portugal's quarter-final run at Euro 2024, has been of interest to Paris Saint-Germain, Manchester United and Arsenal. 

The midfielder made 55 appearances in all competitions for the Eagles last season, scoring three times and helping the club lift a ninth Portuguese Super Cup. 

Neves played just 77 minutes at the European Championships in Germany, but has attracted interest for his assured midfield displays at club level. 

The 19-year-old ranked second for most successful passes in the Primeira Liga (1794), only bettered by Sporting CP defender, Goncalo Inacio (2154). 

Neves has a €120million (£101 million) release clause in his contract, with Costa saying the club are discussing a bid that was made in the last few days, and that they would even be prepared to accept an offer below that valuation.

"I never said that Joao Neves would only leave for his release clause and therefore, those claims are false," Costa said, per A Bola.

"What I can say in relation to Joao Neves is that there is an offer on the table. That has been in the news in the last days but I’m not going to say where this proposal stands.

“There is a proposal on the table which is being evaluated and is being discussed. But at this moment, Joao Neves remains a Benfica player.

"It’s not that I want to hide the ins and outs because I understand that Benfica fans want to know whether Joao will be leaving or not.

“But at this moment, there are ongoing negotiations, so please allow me to be reserved about this subject so we can take care of what will be best outcome for Benfica.”

It would mark yet another huge financial sum received by the 38-time Primeira Liga champions in recent years. 

The likes of Enzo Fernandez, Darwin Nunez, Ruben Dias and Joao Felix have all made big money moves over the past five years, bringing in an estimated €404million.

Jamaica's senior Reggae Girlz winger Jody Brown inked her first professional contract, having agreed to join Benfica of Portugal on a three year deal.

The former Florida State University standout, officially announced her move on her social media on Thursday, as she expressed delight about her transition to the professional realm.

"Becoming a professional players has been my dream since i started playing soccer as a kid in Jamaica, and I can't wait to win many titles with this club," Brown posted on her Instagram account.

"I am proud and honoured to sign my first professional contract for such a big institution as Benfica. I would like to thank my family, MVA [Montverde Academy], FSU, Hue Menzies and everyone who helped me get to this point," she added.

Brown, 22, has represented Jamaica at every level, including at two FIFA Women's World Cup tournaments and has scored 12 goals for Jamaica at the senior level.

She recently assisted Florida State University to the NCAA Division 1 Women's Championship and their retention of the Atlantic Coast Conference Championship title last season. Benfica are the current champions of Portugal and have also secured Champions League football for next season.

More to come.

Rangers goalkeeper Jack Butland has promised to “keep knocking on the door” after his hopes of an England comeback later this month were quashed.

Butland, who has nine caps to his name but was last called up in 2019, had been tipped for Gareth Southgate’s squad to face Brazil and Belgium.

Established number one Jordan Pickford will be supported by Aaron Ramsdale and Sam Johnstone for those games but Butland has not given up all hope of a late bid for this summer’s European Championship.

The 31-year-old, who acted as Pickford’s deputy at the 2018 World Cup, reacted to his omission after the Gers’ narrow Europa League defeat to Benfica.

Asked if he had been contacted about a possible call-up, Butland told TNT Sport: “No, no discussions. But if your name’s being chucked in it’s because you’re doing something right.

“When I found out I wasn’t in the squad, it was back to normal, continue trying to do what I do here. That’s the only reason I’ve been in those discussions in the first place, because I’ve been playing and playing well.

“Could I? Should I? It doesn’t really matter. I’ve worked hard enough, I’ve done enough. Whatever the decision will be, there’s three fantastic goalkeepers going. I’ll just keep knocking on the door and see what happens.”

Rangers were knocked out of the Europa League after conceding the only goal against Benfica at Ibrox to lose 3-2 on aggregate.

Philippe Clement’s side were caught on the counter-attack by a simple forward ball in the 66th minute and Rafa Silva’s goal stood following a VAR check after initially being ruled out for offside.

Rangers had twice taken the lead in Lisbon last week but a penalty and an own goal cost them victory in the first leg and they could not take advantage of several chances in a tighter affair in Glasgow.

The Rangers fans in the Broomloan Stand produced a massive pre-match display that showed their sights were very much on the road to Dublin for the final on May 22 ahead of the last-16 second leg.

But there will be no repeat of the club’s run to the 2022 final and the cinch Premiership leaders must now focus on what could still be a highly successful domestic season with a treble a real possibility.

Benfica had some good early possession but Rangers had the first real chance when Tom Lawrence combined with Fabio Silva and fired a shot which Anatoliy Trubin let through his legs. The visiting goalkeeper was fortunate to see the ball trundle wide after hitting off his leg.

Lawrence soon had another chance when James Tavernier’s clever low corner gave him a free shot at goal 15 yards out but he failed to connect properly.

Jack Butland showed good hands in the slippery conditions to hold Alexander Bah’s long-range strike.

The vast majority of the 50,000 fans, including the Benfica supporters, paid tribute in the 25th minute to young Rangers fan Thomas McAllister, who died while in Lisbon for the first leg.

The first half continued in a more cagey fashion than that 2-2 draw in Portugal.

John Souttar was impressing in central defence for Rangers and his cross almost fell for Cyriel Dessers before Scott Wright slipped in the act of shooting from 22 yards and the ball sailed over.

Rangers survived a dangerous Benfica attack after John Lundstram fluffed a pass inside his own half.

The home side had a great chance on the counter-attack before the break following good work from Wright, but Lawrence picked the wrong option and played in a clearly offside Dessers.

Dessers did get a chance early in the second half after Wright burst past two opponents and played the striker in. The forward might have gone for goal first time but he took a touch and his shot was heading for the far corner but deflected just wide.

The home side kept on the pressure but Benfica worked a good chance for Casper Tengstedt following a slick break. The substitute shot straight at Butland from 12 yards.

Rangers were again exposed from a counter-attack as Benfica took the lead for the first time in the tie.

Angel Di Maria headed on a ball over the top and Rafa Silva raced clear before slotting home. The offside flag went up but a lengthy VAR check decided the goalscorer was just inside his own half when the ball was played on, and the goal was given.

Rangers’ attempts to get back in the game were not helped by the surface water on the pitch slowing the ball down amid a day of incessant rain in Glasgow and Butland saved well from Bah as Benfica looked to finish off the tie.

Lundstram got an effort on target in the latter stages but Trubin saved comfortably and Rangers’ hopes ended when substitute Todd Cantwell stabbed wide in stoppage-time.