Benfica thrashes St. Gallen 5-0 to reach Europa League third‑round tie
Benfica defeated Swiss side St. Gallen 5‑0 in the second leg of the Europa League second‑qualifying round on 30 July 2026 at the Estádio da Luz in Lisbon, overturning a 2‑1 first‑leg deficit and advancing with a 6‑2 aggregate score.
Greek forward Vangelis Pavlidis scored four goals, becoming the first Greek player to record a four‑goal haul in a European competition for the club. Defender Clement Lenglet added the fifth goal. The match also saw the official debut of Colombian striker Jhon Durán and a symbolic farewell appearance by centre‑back António Silva, who is set to join Bournemouth.
Coach Marco Silva praised the team’s effort, noting that the victory fulfilled their obligation but required hard work. Benfica now move on to the third qualifying round where they will face Scottish club Hearts.
Entities: Clément Lenglet · FC St. Gallen · Heart FC · Heart of Midlothian · Heart of Midlothian F.C. · Hearts of Scotland · Marco Silva · S.L. Benfica · Sport Lisboa e Benfica · Sporting Clube de Benfica · Sporting Clube de Portugal (Benfica) · St. Gallen
Claims
What the coverage asserts, and how well corroborated each claim is across sources.
- [● 6 SOURCES] Clément Lenglet scored the fifth goal for Benfica. (Lenglet fifth goal)
- [● 7 SOURCES] The aggregate score over the two legs was 6‑2 in favour of Benfica. (aggregate 6‑2)
- [● 4 SOURCES] Marco Silva said the team fulfilled its duty but must eliminate late‑game fragility. (3182c904-484c-42cc-8548-66c0b79bb7c9, 9eada04e-2c3b-4951-83bd-6f2d5284764a)
- [● 3 SOURCES] The win advances Benfica to the third pre‑eliminatory round against Hearts of Scotland. (multiple reports)
- [● 11 SOURCES] Vangelis Pavlidis scored four goals in the match. (ac0debbb-0391-4f34-adbf-525f16d6613b, 3182c904-484c-42cc-8548-66c0b79bb7c9, 9eada04e-2c3b-4951-83bd-6f2d5284764a)
- [● 9 SOURCES] Benfica defeated St. Gallen 5-0 in the second leg of the Europa League pre‑eliminatory on 30 July 2026 at Estádio da Luz. (Benfica)
- [● 6 SOURCES] The aggregate score after both legs was 6-2 in favour of Benfica. (ac0debbb-0391-4f34-adbf-525f16d6613b, 9eada04e-2c3b-4951-83bd-6f2d5284764a, 6db70ad6-b612-4a78-9ac8-426c33f50917)
- [● 3 SOURCES] Pavlidis' four‑goal haul equaled the record of Greek player Demis Nikolaidis from 2000. (ac0debbb-0391-4f34-adbf-525f16d6613b, 3182c904-484c-42cc-8548-66c0b79bb7c9)
- [● 3 SOURCES] Benfica defeated St. Gallen 5-0 in the Europa League second leg. (reuters)
- [● 3 SOURCES] Pavlidis converted a penalty in the 74th minute. (penalty 74th minute)
- [● 3 SOURCES] The win secured Benfica's progression to the next round of the Europa League. (reuters)
- [● 4 SOURCES] Benfica lost the first leg 2-1 to St. Gallen. (Benfica)