Benfica won 7-0 against Casa Pia at the Estádio Municipal de Rio Maior on Monday evening. The match was the second round of the Primeira Liga regular season. It ended with what looked like a routine victory, but the pattern was clear from the first few minutes.
G. Prestianni opened the scoring in the third minute and Rafa Silva added another before half-time. By then the match had settled into a rhythm. Benfica controlled the ball and Casa Pia could only watch. The hosts had three shots on target and none found the net.
And here's the thing about the second half. V. Pavlidis scored three goals in quick succession — 47th, 49th, and 54th minutes. L. Ofori turned the ball into his own net in the 58th, and J. Duran added a sixth shortly after. Five substitutions came at the 59th minute, which told you everything about how the game had gone.
To be fair, the statistics back up what anyone watching could see. Benfica had 64 per cent possession and 139 attacks compared to Casa Pia's 59. They created five big chances and produced an expected goals total of 3.04. Casa Pia managed just 0.12. The hosts also picked up a red card when Kaly was sent off in the 90+3rd minute.
By then the result meant little in terms of points. Benfica moved to second place with 10 points from four games. Casa Pia remain bottom after four defeats, still with zero points. The gap is widening, and the pattern looks set to continue.