Soccer Football - Champions League - Benfica v Bologna - Estadio da Luz, Lisbon, Portugal - December 11, 2024 Benfica's Angel Di Maria in action with Bologna's Jhon Lucumi REUTERS/Pedro Nunes
LISBON (Reuters) - Wasteful Benfica struggled to a 0-0 home against Bologna in the Champions League on Wednesday as visiting keeper Lukasz Skorupski made crucial saves to keep the hosts out.
Benfica are 15th in the standings with 10 points while Bologna's campaign is on the brink of ending with only two points and a six-point gap to the last playoff spot.
Benfica thought they had got off to a flying start after two minutes when Vangelis Pavlidis scored, but a VAR check ruled out the effort for offside.
Pavlidis was denied from close range by Skorupski with a superb reflex save in the second half and Benfica wasted late chances as the points were shared in the first-ever meeting between the teams.
(Reporting by Tommy Lund in Gdansk, editing by Ed Osmond)
