Benfica stage comeback to knock out St. Gallen, Pavlidis shines | OneFootball

Benfica secured qualification for the third Europa League qualifying round by beating St. Gallen 5-0, at the Estádio da Luz, overturning the 2-1 deficit from the first leg. Vangelis Pavlidis was the standout performer, scoring four goals, while Clément Lenglet also got on the scoresheet on his official home debut in front of the Benfica fans.

Marco Silva’s side came out determined and opened the scoring after just 11 minutes. Bah caught everyone out with a long throw-in, Rafa provided the assist and Pavlidis finished first time to make it 1-0. Before the break, António Silva came close to doubling the lead in the 37th minute, while Aliou Baldé hit the crossbar in the 40th, keeping the tie level.

In the second half, Benfica were far more clinical. Pavlidis scored again in the 55th minute after combining with Kaminski, putting the Eagles ahead in the tie. Two minutes later, in the 57th minute, St. Gallen were reduced to 10 men, as Jozo Stanic was shown a second yellow card after bringing down Sudakov.

With the numerical advantage, the Eagles extended their lead in the 65th minute, when Bah crossed for Pavlidis to complete his hat-trick with a header, in a move confirmed by VAR. The Greek international scored again in the 74th minute, this time from the penalty spot, netting his fourth personal goal and making it 4-0 for Benfica.

The result was sealed in the 82nd minute, with Clément Lenglet finishing first time from a Lukebakio cross after a short corner. With this emphatic win, Benfica move on in the Europa League and will face Scottish side Hearts in the next round.

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