Marco Silva endured a disappointing start to his tenure as Benfica head coach after the Portuguese giants were beaten 2-1 by Swiss side St. Gallen in the first leg of their UEFA Europa League qualifying tie.
Silva, who took over at Benfica following a successful spell with Fulham, was appointed to replace José Mourinho after the latter left to become Real Madrid manager. His first competitive fixture came sooner than expected, with Benfica entering the Europa League qualifying rounds after finishing third in the Portuguese league last season.
Despite starting the tie as clear favourites, Benfica struggled to impose themselves against an energetic St. Gallen side. The hosts threatened early through Aliou Balde, who came close twice before finally breaking the deadlock with a superb finish from a tight angle midway through the first half.
Benfica responded well and restored parity just before the interval. Vangelis Pavlidis threaded a perfectly timed pass into the path of Rafa Silva, who calmly slotted home to make it 1-1.
The visitors controlled much of the second half and enjoyed greater possession, but they found it difficult to create clear scoring opportunities against a disciplined St. Gallen defence.
With the match seemingly heading for a draw, the Swiss side struck the decisive blow 10 minutes from time. Tom Gaal rose highest to head home from a free-kick, giving St. Gallen a crucial first-leg advantage.
Benfica were unable to find a late equaliser, leaving Silva with work to do ahead of the return leg as he looks to overturn the deficit and avoid an early exit from the Europa League in his first campaign in charge.
