The football god, if he exists, is always capricious in his designs. The latter has gone against Benfica in continental competition once again. The curse of Béla Guttmann continues to haunt the 'incarnate' club since that day 58 years ago when the Austrian left and ensured that Benfica would not win any European titles again for the next hundred years. This time, they have not been given the option or to participate.
This Tuesday, PAOK dismounted Jorge Jesús's Benfica 2-1 in the previous round of the Champions League. The Portuguese once again attracted the former Flamengo player to mount an ambitious project with the intention of winning in Portugal and surprise in the Champions League, but the Greeks and a recent former player of his were in charge of putting the first stick on the wheel.
Abel Ferreira brought in newcomer Zivkovic in the 66th minute. The 24-year-old Serbian was at the time one of the young promises of football in Eastern Europe, but his stage of growth, precisely at Benfica, was not as fruitful as expected. He arrived free in 2016 and was losing presence with the eagles: 24 games the first year (1 goal, 11 assists), 30 in 17/18 (3 goals, 6 assists), 30 in 18/19 with much less minutes and just three games in 19/20, where injuries have conditioned him.
In Portugal they wanted him to leave before the World Cup in Russia (it sounded for Valencia) but finally, this summer they reached an agreement to finalize their commitment. Ferreira, who knew him from his time in the Portuguese League, convinced him to come to Greece and in less than a week he has already given his first great joy to his new fans. Benfica, which resigned with Zivkovic to make room in the budget in search of new signings, has seen how a good goal from his former winger has deprived him of one of the greatest source of annual income and his greatest goals: the Champions League.