PONTA DELGADA, Portugal (Interstat) — Benfica beat Santa Clara 2-1 at Estádio de São Miguel, using second-half goals from Vangelis Pavlidis and Gianluca Prestianni to secure the result. Pavlidis scored in the 62nd minute and was booked in the 59th. Prestianni scored in the 68th minute and finished with a goal and an assist, serving as Benfica’s top performer. Fernando scored Santa Clara’s lone goal and recorded a 90-minute statline with one goal. Benfica’s second-half goals came after a physical and heavily carded contest.

Benfica created the decisive stretch after halftime. Pavlidis’s goal broke through in the 62nd, and Prestianni added another six minutes later. Prestianni’s assist gave him a direct hand in two of Benfica’s goals. Fernando’s goal kept Santa Clara within reach, but Benfica held on for the win. The match produced 10 yellow cards, six against Benfica and four against Santa Clara. Bah was booked for Benfica in the eighth minute and Silva in the 10th. Santa Clara’s Fernandes was cautioned in the 36th and Pacheco in the 40th. Pavlidis was booked in the 59th before scoring. Aursnes was cautioned in the 74th, Dahl in the 88th and Duran in the 89th for Benfica. Santa Clara’s Guilherme Romao was booked in the 90th and Vasconcelos in the 90th minute of stoppage time.

Benfica made two changes at halftime, with Sudakov and Rafa Silva entering. Santa Clara substituted Brenner in the 67th and Daniel Borges in the 75th. Benfica brought on Araujo and removed Pavlidis in the 82nd. Santa Clara made two more changes in the 85th, with Ferreira and Lucas Soares entering. Prestianni came off in the 90th minute of stoppage time. The substitutions helped Benfica protect its advantage and manage the closing stages.

The win moved Benfica to 2 wins, 0 losses in this competition and 4 wins, 2 losses across all competitions. Santa Clara dropped to 1 win, 1 loss in the competition and 1 win, 2 losses overall. Benfica entered the match after recent 4-1 victories over Omonia and Celtic. Santa Clara had lost at Mafra and won at Casa Pia in its previous two matches. Benfica’s competition record remained perfect, while Santa Clara split its first two matches in the competition. The result left Benfica with a perfect competition mark and Santa Clara with a split in its first two competition matches.

Benfica’s previous results this season included a 4-1 win at Omonia, a 4-1 home win over Celtic, a 2-0 home win over Vitoria Guimaraes, a 2-0 loss at GD Alcochetense and a 4-1 loss at Atletico. Santa Clara’s previous results this season were a 3-2 loss at Mafra and a 1-0 win at Casa Pia. Prestianni’s recent outings included 21 minutes with a goal and a yellow card at Omonia and 90 minutes with two assists against Celtic. Those results gave Benfica four wins and two losses overall, while Santa Clara stood at one win and two losses across all competitions.

Benfica’s top star was Prestianni, whose goal and assist paced the attack. His recent form included a goal against Omonia and two assists against Celtic. Fernando’s goal was the main positive for Santa Clara, and he recorded a 90-minute statline with one goal. Pavlidis had 82 minutes, one goal and a yellow card. The result gave Benfica a road victory and handed Santa Clara a narrow home defeat. The final score reflected Benfica’s two-goal output and Santa Clara’s one-goal output.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of Benfica 2, Santa Clara 1. Interstat’s ELO system had projected Benfica with a 90.3 percent probability to win. Benfica had been installed as a pregame favorite with a spread of -1.5. The total score of 3 went under the over/under line of 2.75.