Benfica maintained their unbeaten run in Liga Portugal with a hard-fought 2-1 victory over Gil Vicente at the Estádio Cidade de Barcelos, keeping third place on the table.
The breakthrough came in the 35th minute when Evangelos Pavlidis capitalized on a knock-down from António Silva to tap in from close range.
The striker nearly doubled his tally moments later, striking the bar in the 38th minute.
Gil Vicente responded early in the second half. Fredrik Aursnes was forced off through injury in the 50th minute, with Enzo Barrenechea coming on.
Just a minute later, Hector Hernandez converted a low finish from Santiago Garcia Gonzalez’s pass to level the scores.
Benfica regained the lead in the 73rd minute as Andreas Schjelderup unleashed a precise left-footed strike into the top corner, giving the Águias the decisive advantage.
In goal, Anatolii Trubin was decisive at the death, making four crucial saves, including a stunning tip over from Ghislain Konan in stoppage time.
Statistically, Gil Vicente had 13 attempts with five on target, while Benfica managed 11, with three finding the target. Pavlidis now sits on 21 league goals, second in the Liga Portugal scoring charts.
Next up, Gil Vicente travel to face Estrela Amadora, while Benfica prepare to host Porto in another top-tier clash.
