Viseu are back in the top flight after 37 years, and they took a point off Benfica in an empty Luz

Académico de Viseu waited 37 years to play in Portugal’s top division again. Their first night back was at the Estádio da Luz, against Benfica, in a stadium with nobody in it. They left with a point.

Two Benfica leads, two Viseu answers

Benfica led twice on 9 August and finished level at 2-2. Vangelis Pavlidis put them ahead in the 10th minute, set up by Gianluca Prestianni on the break. Rúben Pereira headed Viseu level in the 55th, Prestianni restored the lead three minutes later with a right-footed finish from the left, and André Clóvis turned in a Robinho cross in the 67th.

The chances kept coming for the home side after that. Dodi Lukébakio hit the crossbar on 90 minutes and then had a shot saved deep into stoppage time, by which point Jhon Durán had gone off injured. Both Viseu goals came from crosses, which is not the detail a new manager wants to be discussing after his first league match.

Marco Silva’s first league game, in an empty stadium

Marco Silva took the Benfica job in June on a deal to 2028. He inherited a club that finished third last season and a punishment that meant his opening home fixture was played behind closed doors, the result of a one-match ban and a fine for pyrotechnics and objects thrown onto the pitch. Benfica supporters spent the evening in a fan zone by the Eusébio statue outside, which is a strange way to start a season at a ground that usually holds more than 60,000.

Silva argued against the sanction before the game. He now has a bigger problem than atmosphere. Benfica dropped two points to a promoted side at home, and in a league where the title is usually decided by a handful of dropped points across ten months, the first weekend is an expensive place to lose them.

Porto are the only one of the big three with a win

Sporting had already made the weekend look worse for Lisbon. Last season’s runners-up went to Estrela da Amadora on 8 August and led 2-0 through Rodrigo Zalazar just after the break and Fotis Ioannidis on 59 minutes, Zalazar having a hand in both. Leandro Antonetti pulled one back on 72 and Beni Souza levelled six minutes from time.

That leaves Porto, the reigning champions, alone at the top of the early table. They beat Alverca 2-0 at the Dragão, both goals from the penalty spot, Gabri Veiga converting the second before half-time. Elsewhere Braga were held 2-2 at Moreirense, Arouca won 1-0 at Vitória de Guimarães, Gil Vicente beat Rio Ave 1-0 and Marítimo edged Casa Pia by the same score. Santa Clara host Nacional on 10 August to close the round.

What it means for Viseu

For Viseu, a point at the Luz is the sort of result a promoted club talks about for the rest of the season, particularly one that came up second in Liga Portugal 2 and has spent most of the last four decades outside the top flight. Their reward is a home fixture against Santa Clara on 15 August, which will tell them far more about staying up than a night in an empty Luz ever could.

Benfica go to Casa Pia on 17 August. The closure was for one match, so the Luz will be full again the next time they play at home, which on this evidence is the least of what Silva needs.

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