Pavlidis nets four as Benfica thrash St. Gallen in Europa League qualifier

Benfica delivered a dominant performance at the Estádio da Luz, crushing St. Gallen 5-0 in the second leg of their Europa League second qualifying round. After a 2-1 loss in Switzerland, Marco Silva's side needed a statement - and Vangelis Pavlidis provided it in style. The Greek striker scored a poker, finding the net in the 11th, 55th, and 66th minutes before converting a penalty in the 74th. Clément Lenglet added a fifth in the 81st minute to complete the rout. Two Ukrainians played key roles for the Eagles: goalkeeper Anatoliy Trubin kept a clean sheet, and midfielder Georgiy Sudakov impressed in midfield before being substituted in the 75th minute. St. Gallen were reduced to ten men just after the half-hour mark when Tom Haal received a second yellow card, effectively ending their hopes of a comeback. Benfica will now face Hearts in the third and penultimate qualifying round.