Liga Portugal
In Matchday 2 of Liga Portugal, played at Estádio Pina Manique, Benfica demolished Casa Pia 7-0 away from home. The visiting side completed the first half with a 2-0 lead and extended their advantage with five goals in the second period. Vangelis Pavlidis scored a hat-trick in the match, while Gianluca Prestianni, Rafa Silva, and Jhon Durán also contributed; Casa Pia's Lawrence Ofori scored an own goal.
Key moments
Benfica took the lead through Gianluca Prestianni's goal in the 3rd minute, then doubled their advantage in the 14th when Rafa Silva scored from Vangelis Pavlidis's assist, going into halftime with a 2-0 lead. The second half turned into a goal-fest for Benfica: in the 47th minute, Pavlidis made it 3-0 with an assist from Rafa Silva, and just two minutes later in the 49th, Pavlidis struck again (4-0). In the 54th minute, Pavlidis completed his hat-trick with assistance from Leandro Barreiro, extending the lead to 5-0. The score became 6-0 in the 58th minute when Lawrence Ofori scored an own goal, and in the 61st minute, Jhon Durán made it 7-0 with help from Alexander Bah. On Casa Pia's side, indiscipline was evident; Seba Pérez (62') and Kaly (79') received yellow cards, while Kaly was sent off with a red card in the 90+2nd minute for a second yellow.
Stats and xG breakdown
The field dominance was reflected in the statistics. Benfica finished with 64%-36% possession advantage, taking 20 shots with 8 on target while Casa Pia failed to register a single shot on goal (3 total attempts). The xG data backs up the narrative: Benfica generated 2.40 xG while Casa Pia's expected goals remained just at 0.26. The 66-26 difference in dangerous attacks was also evident in the pressure index; Benfica spent 83% of the match under pressure and reached its peak in the 56th minute. Casa Pia managed only 17% possession with limited impact in the 18th minute. Five big chances created against one for Casa Pia shows how thoroughly Benfica dominated the match.
Standout players
Vangelis Pavlidis was the star of the match with three goals and left the field with a rating of 10. Gianluca Prestianni (8.66) impressed with an early goal, and Rafa Silva (8.33) stood out with both a goal and an assist. Leandro Barreiro (7.30) and Alexander Bah (7.27) also contributed with assists. On Casa Pia's side, no player distinguished themselves; striker Henrique Araújo earned the highest rating at 6.19, while goalkeeper João Goulart, who made two saves, finished at 5.75.
Impact on the standings
With this victory, Benfica moved up to 4th place with 4 points in 2 matches; the visiting side, scoring 9 goals and conceding only 2, appears to be in great form. Casa Pia remained winless after 2 matches, having conceded 8 goals without scoring and sitting pointless in 18th place. In their last 8 Liga Portugal meetings, Benfica have not lost to this opponent and extended their streak of scoring first to 8 consecutive times.