Yesterday, 19-year-old goalkeeper Arnas Voitinovičius was named in the senior matchday squad of Portuguese giants SL Benfica for the first time. The Lithuanian youngster remained on the bench as Benfica recorded a commanding 4-0 home victory over Estrela in the Primeira Liga.
The Lithuanian goalkeeper’s inclusion came as a result of circumstances within the squad. Benfica’s regular second-choice goalkeeper Samuel Soares was unavailable due to a muscle injury, while third-choice keeper Diogo Ferreira, an 18-year-old prospect, had played a full match for Benfica’s reserve side in Portugal’s second division the previous day and was therefore not named in the senior squad. This opened the door for Voitinovičius to step up as the team’s backup goalkeeper for an official first-team fixture.
Voitinovičius has impressed in recent weeks with Benfica B in Liga Portugal 2. He made his debut for the reserves in a draw against FC Porto B with José Mourinho in attendance, before following that up with a clean-sheet performance against Chaves.
A regular member of Lithuania’s youth national teams, Voitinovičius has been part of Benfica’s academy structure since early 2024 and recently committed his future to the club by signing a contract extension.
Voitinovičius also became only the second Lithuanian to be named in a matchday squad under head coach José Mourinho. The first was current Lithuania national team head coach Edgaras Jankauskas, who, as a player under Mourinho at FC Porto, won the UEFA Champions League, the UEFA Cup, and two Portuguese league titles.
Benfica currently sit third in the Primeira Liga standings with 45 points, seven points behind league leaders FC Porto.
