Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Thiago Motta, David Luiz and Marco Verratti were all left out of the PSG squad as Laurent Blanc fielded a youthful side. Goals from Jean-Kevin Augustin, Lucas Moura and Lucas Digne helped PSG overcome Benfica who had taken a 2-1 half-time lead thanks to goals from Talisca and Jonas.

Next stop is Hartford where Benfica play Italian side Fiorentina tomorrow (Saturday). On Monday New York Red Bulls are the opponents in New Jersey and 48 hours later it’s Club Amé rica in the Aztec Stadium, Mexico City. The whistle stop tour ends with a goodwill visit to Monterrey where Benfica has a large expat following.

This will be the Eagles last pre-season game before competing in the SuperCup against Sporting at the Algarve Stadium, Faro on Sunday 9th August.


Meanwhile the Benfica president Luís Filipe Vieira was visiting South Africa. Vieira had promised Mario Ferreira, majority shareholder of the V.Guimarães SAD and prominent figure in the Portuguese community in South Africa, that he would be present for the 26th anniversary of the Benfica House in Pretoria.

Several hundred Portuguese migrants heard the president re-affirm that new coach Rui Vitória’s ultimate goal was a third consecutive championship, which was last achieved by the club nearly forty years ago (1974/75, 75/76 and 76/77).

Benfica, which has the largest paid membership of any sports club in the world, continues to spread its wings as more-and-more Portuguese leave their homeland to seek their livelihoods further afield.

Elsewhere FC Porto have completed the signing of Uruguayan right-back Maxi Pereira from rivals Benfica.

Maxi has been a great servant of the Lisbon club over eight seasons and is the second ‘defection’ from the League Champions following on from coach Jorge Jesus's switch to neighbours Sporting.

The Lions have suffered a major setback with the news that midfielder William Carvalho has a stress fracture in his tibia.

The club's star player will be out of action for at least three months and will miss the Super Cup season opener against Benfica, and more importantly, the Champions League play-off. News of the injury, sustained during the recent U21 European Championship in which Carvalho was elected the player of the tournament, triggered a furious reaction from Sporting.

The Lisbon club say the Portuguese Football Federation ignored the player's complaints during the tournament and the injury could have been prevented - claims flatly refuted by the FPF. Nacional (Madeira) striker Marco Matias - the top Portuguese goalscorer in La Liga last season with seventeen goals - has moved to English Championship side Sheffield Wednesday and former Sporting midfielder Bruno Pereirinha has taken the unusual step for a Portuguese footballer of trying his luck in Brazil, signing for Atlético Paranaense.