In the second round of the Portuguese championship, Benfica demonstrated overwhelming superiority over Casa Pia, securing a crushing victory with a score of 7:0. The match, held in Lisbon, turned into a true demonstration of the Portuguese giant's strength, which easily dismantled the opponent, scoring seven unanswered goals. For Ukrainian midfielder Georgiy Sudakov, this match was an opportunity to showcase himself in the starting lineup, although he did not register any goal contributions.

Match Progress: Quick Start and Pavlidis's Hat-Trick

The intrigue in the Benfica vs. Casa Pia match disappeared almost immediately after the opening whistle. Just in the 3rd minute, Gianluca Prestianni put the Lisbon side ahead, setting the tone for the upcoming game. Eleven minutes later, in the 14th minute, Rafa Silva doubled the visitors' advantage, making the score indisputable. By halftime, the score was 2:0, indicating the complete dominance of Marco Silva's team.

The real thrashing began in the second half. In the 47th minute, Evangelos Pavlidis opened his scoring account in the match, and then within seven minutes completed a hat-trick (goals in the 49th and 54th minutes), bringing the score to a crushing 5:0. The home team could not recover from this blow, and in the 58th minute, Ofori scored an own goal. John Duran concluded this football concert, capitalizing on his chance in the 61st minute and bringing the score to 7:0.

The Fate of the Ukrainians: Sudakov in the Start, Trubin on the Bench

Special attention from fans and the media was focused on the Ukrainian legionnaires of Benfica. Georgiy Sudakov, an attacking player, took the field in the starting lineup and spent 78 minutes on the pitch. Despite his team scoring seven goals, Sudakov could not register any goal contributions. In the 78th minute, he was substituted by Dodi Lukebakio, which was a logical step by the coach in a match that was already decided.

Anatoliy Trubin, who was included in the match roster, remained on the bench again. At the beginning of this season, the new head coach of the "Falcons," Marco Silva, prefers Cédric Soares, trusting him with the goalkeeping spot. This puts Trubin in a difficult situation where he has to compete for a place in the starting lineup with the experienced Portuguese goalkeeper.

Season Context: From Mourinho to Silva

The Portuguese giant, which finished the previous championship under the leadership of José Mourinho in 3rd place, has already played six matches in the current season. In the Europa League qualifiers, Benfica successfully passed Swiss "St. Gallen" (1:2, 5:0) and Scottish "Hearts" (6:1, 1:1). In the Portuguese championship, in the first round, the Lisbon club drew with modest "Académica de Viseu" (2:2), which was a slight disappointment for fans before this victory.

Contradictory Data

There are some inconsistencies in the sources of information regarding the progress of Benfica's season under Marco Silva. On the one hand, the thrashing of Casa Pia with a score of 7:0 testifies to the high scoring and dominance of the team. On the other hand, the draw with Académica de Viseu in the first round (2:2) shows instability in play, which may be related to adaptation to the new coach. Furthermore, some sources mention that Sudakov did not register goal contributions, despite being an attacking player, which may raise questions about his current form and role in the team.