Benfica beat Estoril 3-0 to take top spot in the Primeira Liga
Benfica took top spot in the Primeira Liga after beating Estoril 3-0 at Estádio da Luz. Alexander Bah diverted a corner off the post in the 18th minute before Vangelis Pavlidis fired a low drive past Joel Robles ten minutes later.
The match took a turn three minutes after half-time when Tomás Araújo connected with Fabrício Garcia who went down in the box. Referee António Nobre awarded a penalty before being summoned to the touchline monitor by the VAR, there was only going be one outcome which saw Nobre overturn his own decision.
Zeki Amdouni came off the bench and gave the Eagles some breathing room in the 73rd minute, sweeping home after a botched clearance from Pedro Álvaro. The Swiss striker scored again in added time, heading home Jan-Niklas Beste's corner at the back post.
The victory was a significant one that takes the Eagles above Porto and Sporting Clube de Portugal before the brief Christmas break. That narrative is sure to dominate the discussion, which is unlikely to include another bizarre decision in Portuguese football.