“I’m staying here”, the strong message of Enzo Fernández celebrating his first goal for Benfica after being world champion

The punishment, the storm, passed and Enzo Fernández was Enzo Fernández again. The 21-year-old midfielder scored his fourth Benfica goal on Tuesday, helping Third Division Varzim 2-0 defeat progress to the quarter-finals of the Portuguese Cup and sending a strong message following a frustrated move to Chelsea of England.

Platinum Fernández appeared in the 78th minute to secure victory for ‘Águilas’ with a first-rate right foot, after a move to clear inside the box that found him unchallenged from the penalty spot.

In celebration, the man who came out of the River hit the shield of his club and pointed downwards with his right index finger, in the typical “I’ll stay here” gesture, after the twists and turns that have taken place over his future. just six months later landing all over Lisbon.

The world champion with the national team had just come out of a couple of intense weeks: the 0-3 defeat against Braga in the league – first match after Qatar -; the unauthorized trip to Argentina the next day; the negotiations – then interrupted – with Chelsea for the alleged payment of his release clause; and coach Roger Schmidt’s punishment last weekend.

But Enzo responded where he knows best, with a level performance, that distinctive change of pace that shows him to be strong defensively and decisively offensively. At the end he hugged the coach in the middle of the field to celebrate the victory.

It was only Enzo Fernández’s 26th game at Benfica, but the number of minutes on the pitch shows the importance he has in a team that, in the Champions League, won the group neither more nor less than PSG led by Lionel Messi, Neymar and Kylian Mbappe.

This Tuesday, the passage to the quarter-finals of the Portuguese Cup – the Spaniard Alejandro Grimaldo scored the other goal – allows him to forget the shock of the victory against the League at the end of the year, which had been partly forgotten with the 1 – 0 win against Portimonense last weekend.

They also qualified for the quarterfinals familiar, in his case after winning 1-2 in extra time against second-class Leixoes thanks to a goal by Venezuelan Jhonder Cádiz in the 108th minute, six before ending up sent off for a second yellow card.

First Alexandre Penetra gave Famalicao the lead in the 77th minute, but in the 98th minute the Brazilian Thalis, from a penalty, sent the duel into extra time.