Benfica put the hurt on Rio Ave

Benfica put the hurt on Rio Ave today at the Estadio da Luz as they continue their chase of league leaders FC Porto. The victory over Rio Ave has Benfica five points behind the Dragons who do have a game in hand on the Eagles.

Benfica was quick off the mark scoring two goals in the first ten minutes of the game as Pablo Aimar and a Javier Saviola shot the was redirected into the Rio Ave net by a defender. Rio Ave cut the lead in half when Joao Tomas scored just before the end of the first half.

Benfica then regained their two goal advantage when Javier Saviola tapped in a Salvio pass into a wide open net. Salvio then scored his first of the night off a header to make the game 4-1 Benfica at the 62nd mark.

Rio Ave was then awarded a penalty and Joao Tomas scored his second of the game with a shot that was just out of the reach of Roberto. Salvio then scored his second of the game with a header from the top of the box to make the final score 5-2.