Gianluca Prestianni Paves the Way: Benfica Books Europa League Spot with Brace from Argentine Forward

Nineteen minutes. That's all it took Gianluca Prestianni to get a perfect night rolling for Benfica. The Argentine forward, just 20 years old, opened the scoring in Denmark and finished with a brace that locked up the Portuguese club's European ticket for next season.

The second leg finished 3-1 in favor of Marco Silva's side against Aarhus GF, in the match that settled the playoff for a spot in the 2026/27 UEFA Europa League league phase. Combined with the 3-1 Benfica had already secured at the Estadio da Luz in the first leg, the aggregate score finished 6-2, a margin that left no doubt about who deserved to advance.

The match had some extra flavor to it: Prestianni, a former Velez player, struck early to stretch the aggregate lead to 4-1. Later, with Benfica already up 2-1 on the night, he popped up again. He latched onto a long ball down the left, took a touch, turned, and unleashed a right-footed strike toward the far post from outside the box to make it 3-1 for good. He came off in the 79th minute to a standing ovation, replaced by Belgian forward Dodi Lukebakio.

In the first leg, played in Lisbon, the goals had come from Vangelis Pavlidis, Leandro Barreiro and Rafa Silva, while Denmark's Sebastian Jorgensen had scored Aarhus's lone goal of the tie.

Prestianni Is in Career-Best Form

Prestianni's performance is no isolated case. The forward, born in Ciudadela, has now racked up seven goals and two assists in his last eight matches for Benfica, a run that has made him a key piece in Marco Silva's plans. Another Argentine, Enzo Barrenechea, a Newell's product who has also played for Juventus, Valencia and Aston Villa, started as well on the night Benfica clinched qualification.

The other name that stood out from the tie was Jhon Duran, who began on the bench and played roughly 20 minutes in the second half. Richard Rios's case was different, as the Colombian wasn't even part of the squad. He has been heavily linked with a move away in the transfer market, and this unexplained absence, with no obvious footballing reason behind it, has only fueled speculation about a possible exit. Benfica are waiting for an offer close to their valuation of the former Palmeiras midfielder, but so far no bid has come close to that figure.

With qualification already secured, the Portuguese club now turns its attention to the league phase draw, set for this coming Friday. That's when Benfica will learn which opponents await in what is, after the Champions League, the most prestigious continental competition on the European calendar.