Pavlidis stars in Benfica-St Gallen, matches Eusébio's record | OneFootball

Vangelis Pavlidis delivered a memorable display in Benfica’s 5-0 thrashing of St. Gallen, becoming the standout figure in the Eagles’ qualification for the third Europa League qualifying round. The Greek international scored four goals against the Swiss side and went straight into the Club’s history books.

The forward became the first Benfica player to score a poker since Nuno Gomes, who netted four goals against Leça in 1998. In addition, he matched a record previously held only by Eusébio, becoming one of the only players to score four goals at the Estádio da Luz in European competitions for the Reds.

The response from the number 14 comes at a time when he had been the target of some criticism after a disappointing end to the season. Between February and May, Pavlidis scored only three goals, but he now seems to have put that spell behind him. After assisting Rafa in the first leg in Switzerland, the Greek has now taken center stage and led Benfica’s European comeback.

The win over St. Gallen also allowed the Eagles to achieve a rare feat in their European history. This was only the 13th time Benfica managed to recover from a first-leg defeat in a European tie, overturning a scenario that, on 24 previous occasions, had ended in elimination.

The last comeback of this kind dated back to the 2018/19 season, when the Reds beat Dinamo Zagreb 3-0 at the Luz after losing 1-0 in Croatia. To find a similar European thrashing, you have to go back to the 5-1 win over Club Brugge in 2023.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇵🇹 here.