Pavlidis Pummels St. Gallen as Benfica Romp 5-0

Benfica eviscerated FC St. Gallen 5-0 in their UEFA Europa League second qualifying round first leg, Vangelis Pavlidis writing himself into club folklore with a ruthless four-goal haul that left the Swiss side’s defence in tatters.

Benfica’s Early Onslaught

The Eagles needed just 11 minutes to draw first blood, Pavlidis peeling away from Jozo Stanic to meet Rafa Silva’s whipped cross with a textbook downward header. St. Gallen’s left-back Stanic, already struggling against Bah’s marauding runs, earned a yellow card for hauling down Sudakov moments later – a harbinger of his meltdown to come.

Marco Silva’s men turned the screw, Pavlidis doubling the lead five minutes after the restart with a predatory finish from Kaminski’s cutback. The Swiss resistance crumbled completely when Stanic, booked again for clattering into Barrenechea, saw red on 57 minutes – his second yellow in 36 disastrous minutes.

St. Gallen’s Collapse

What followed was a massacre. Pavlidis completed his hat-trick on 65 minutes, ghosting between shellshocked centre-backs to volley home Bah’s cross, before converting a penalty nine minutes later after Okoroji’s clumsy challenge. Substitute Clement Lenglet rubbed salt in the wounds with an 82nd-minute header as St. Gallen’s makeshift back three – now featuring midfielder Boukhalfa – waved white flags.

The visitors’ three yellow cards and Stanic’s dismissal told the story of a team outmuscled and outthought. Enrico Maassen’s triple substitution at 3-0 down smacked of damage limitation, but even fresh legs couldn’t stem the crimson tide.

What This Means

Pavlidis’ quadruple – the first by a Benfica player in European competition since 1965 – surely seals their third qualifying round place before next week’s return leg. For St. Gallen, this humiliation leaves their continental dreams in tatters, their focus now shifting to salvaging pride at Kybunpark.

As Lisbon’s floodlights illuminated the carnage, one stat said it all: Benfica’s last five home European qualifiers have now produced 24 unanswered goals. The message to next opponents? Beware the Eagles’ nest.