Prestianni Brace fires Benfica past AGF as Portuguese Giants reach Europa League

Gianluca Prestianni produced a starring performance with two goals as Benfica defeated Danish champions AGF 3-1 in the second leg of their Europa League qualifying tie.

The result saw Benfica complete a 6-2 aggregate victory and secure their place in the Europa League, while AGF will now drop into the Conference League, which begins in October.

Having already won the first leg 3-1 in Lisbon, Benfica travelled to Randers knowing they were in a commanding position. They once again proved too strong for the Danish champions, recording another 3-1 victory to comfortably progress.

Prestianni Gives Benfica Early Lead

AGF faced a difficult task from the outset and fell behind after just 18 minutes.

Alexander Bah delivered a dangerous ball across the penalty area from the right, with Argentine forward Gianluca Prestianni reacting quickest to send a low finish into the net.

The Danish champions enjoyed some promising spells and attempted to create opportunities, but they struggled to seriously trouble a disciplined Benfica defence.

AGF thought they had been handed a golden opportunity when the referee initially awarded them a penalty. However, the decision was overturned following a VAR review, denying the hosts a potential route back into the contest.

Rafa Silva Extends Benfica’s Advantage

Benfica continued to control proceedings after the interval and doubled their lead 10 minutes into the second half.

Swedish defender Samuel Dahl raced towards the byline before cutting the ball back into the box, where Rafa Silva met it with a powerful strike that flew into the net.

AGF responded almost immediately and produced one of their best moments of the night.

Rasmus Carstensen intercepted a Benfica attack before advancing and unleashing a powerful effort from just over 20 metres that found the corner, reducing the deficit to 2-1.

Prestianni Completes Brace

Any hopes of an AGF comeback were short-lived, however, as Benfica restored their two-goal advantage just one minute later.

Prestianni collected the ball near the edge of the AGF penalty area, created space with a clever dribble and unleashed a superb finish into the far corner to complete his brace and make it 3-1.

The home supporters continued to make plenty of noise despite the scoreline, but there was little doubt that Benfica were the superior side across the two legs.

AGF’s European Journey Continues

Although the Danish champions’ Europa League dream has ended, their European campaign will continue in the Conference League.

AGF had previously produced an impressive comeback against Lech Poznan, overturning a 4-1 home defeat before eventually progressing on penalties in Poland.

They then needed to overcome Sabah of Azerbaijan and Israel’s Hapoel Be’er Sheva to reach the Champions League proper, but their hopes ended after a disappointing collapse against Sabah.

That setback ultimately sent AGF into the Europa League qualifying route, where they were drawn against Benfica.

The Portuguese giants proved too strong over the two legs, leaving AGF to continue their European adventure in the Conference League, while Benfica can now turn their attention to the Europa League proper.