As Southampton continue to do their usual scouting job in Portugal, club officials have been at Estádio da Luz this weekend.
Saints scouts watched Benfica playing Rio Ave in the League Cup this Saturday. Even using an alternative team, the Eagles were able to beat the visitors 2-1.
Southampton’s visit is reported by both Record and O Jogo, but neither of the newspapers seem to know who the emissaries were keeping an eye on.
Even though English clubs normally only watch players from Benfica, Porto or Sporting, it’s always worth giving Rio Ave some attention, since Jorge Mendes is always pulling the strings, moving players from the club.
For Benfica, it was Eduardo Salvio who stole the show, scoring a goal and making an assist. The Argentine winger was by far the Eagles’ best player, followed by defender central Jardel and midfielder Pizzi.For the away side, left winger Galeano was the best chance creator, and made an assist for Rio Ave’s only goal. Leo Jardim, Borevkovic, and Carlos Vinicius also had a good match.
Scouts from Bayern Munich, Manchester United and Olympiacos also attended to the game.
