Result and Decisive Goals

Hearts and Benfica ended level at 1-1 in the Europa League. The goals arrived in quick succession early on. Hearts took the lead in the 5th minute through a scorer not available from match data. Benfica equalised two minutes later via a player whose name was unavailable in the data. Hearts went ahead again in the 9th minute, though the final scoreline stood at 1-1.

First-Half Flow and Timeline

The opening minutes featured intense tackling and set-piece battles. Hearts recorded early tackles from Claudio Braga and Calvin Miller. Benfica responded with tackles from José Pedro Formoso Neto and Enzo Barrenechea. Throw-ins and fouls punctuated the first quarter, including incidents involving Blair Spittal and Andreas Schjelderup. Jhon Durán registered shots for Benfica before the opening goal, while Hearts earned a goal kick shortly after the 5th-minute strike. Further fouls and tackles continued through the 14th minute, with Sabri Guendouz and others involved in challenges.

Standout Stats and Second-Half Picture

Expected goals favoured Benfica at 0.98 to Hearts’ 0.68. Hearts managed three shots on target from Sabri Guendouz, Claudio Braga and Tómas Bent Magnússon. Benfica also recorded four shots on target, shared among Georgiy Sudakov, Jhon Durán, Andreas Schjelderup and Leandro Martins Barreiro. Jhon Durán led all players with five total shots. Benfica earned 11 corners to Hearts’ zero and hit the woodwork once through Amar Dedic. Hearts committed five fouls while Benfica were penalised 13 times. Offsides totalled two for Hearts and three for Benfica. Yellow cards finished one for Hearts and none for Benfica, with no red cards shown. The match reached 90+3 minutes with the score unchanged after the early exchanges.

Benfica created more volume in attack through players such as Dodi Lukebakio and Richard Rios, yet neither side could add to the three early goals listed. The draw leaves both teams with a point from this Liga Europa fixture. For more Europa League tips and live scores visit AltBets.