BARCELOS, Portugal (Interstat) — Benfica opened its Primeira Liga campaign with a hard-fought 2-1 victory over Gil Vicente on Monday, overcoming a resilient home side at Estádio Cidade de Barcelos in a match that defied pregame statistical projections.

The visitors, heavy favorites entering the contest, were expected to dominate. Pre-match analytics from Interstat gave Benfica a 97.20 percent probability to win, with a projected final score of 5-1. Instead, Gil Vicente delivered a disciplined and challenging performance, forcing the Lisbon giants to grind out a result.

Benfica established an early lead in the 35th minute through defender António Silva, who found the net to calm any early nerves. The advantage was instantly doubled mere moments later. Following Silva’s opener, substitute Vangelis Pavlidis announced his introduction to the league with an immediate impact, scoring Benfica’s second goal. The quickfire double, with both goals occurring in the 35th minute, seemed to set the stage for the predicted rout.

Gil Vicente, however, refused to capitulate. The home side halved the deficit just six minutes after the restart, in the 51st minute, when Héctor Hernández scored to make it 2-1 and reinvigorate the contest. The goal energized the home supporters and put Benfica under sustained pressure for portions of the second half.

Benfica restored its two-goal cushion in the 73rd minute through Andreas Schjelderup, a goal that ultimately decided the match. The goal was assisted by defender Marvin Elimbi. Schjelderup’s contribution was later marred by a yellow card, which he received in the 76th minute.

The match grew increasingly tense as it entered its final stages, reflected in a flurry of second-half cautions. Benfica’s veteran defender Nicolás Otamendi was booked in the 39th minute. Gil Vicente’s Facundo Cáseres received a yellow card in the 57th minute. Following Schjelderup’s booking, Elimbi was cautioned in the 87th minute and Benfica’s Alexander Bah, who also recorded an assist, was shown a yellow card in the first minute of stoppage time.

The result gives Benfica a winning start to the domestic season, moving its league record to 1 win and 0 losses. Gil Vicente begins its campaign with a narrow defeat, its record now 0 wins and 1 loss. Both clubs’ records across all competitions mirror their league starts after this opening fixture.

While the scoreline was closer than anticipated, Benfica secured the three points through key interventions from its squad depth, notably the goal from substitute Pavlidis. Gil Vicente’s persistent performance, however, signaled they will be a difficult opponent at home this season.