Eight goalscorers dotted the Benfica scoresheet as they terrorized relegation-threatened CD Nacional de Madeira 10-0 in Portuguese Primeira Liga action.
Swiss striker Haris Seferovic and Brazilian international Jonas were the only ones to bag multiple goals with a brace, while six others including Barcelona youth product Alejandro Grimaldo, and 21-year-old defender Ferro all found the back of the net.
Grimaldo scored in the first minute of the match, and Seferovic scored both his before the half-hour mark to put Benfica up 3-0 where it would stay through halftime. After the break, the floodgates opened. Joao Felix, Pizzi, and Reis Ferreira all scored before the hour mark, while Ruben Dias struck just after to make it 7-0.
The hosts would not take their foot off the gas pedal, as Jonas grabbed both his in the final five minutes and Ferreira Silva picked one up to finish things off.
Benfica is the first team to score 10 goals in a Portuguese top-flight match since they did it over 50 years ago in 1965 with an 11-3 win over Seixal, a now-defunct club. They have now won six league matches in a row, and 11 of their last 12. They have not lost under new manager Bruno Lage, having appointed him as first interim and then permanent boss immediately following their last loss on January 2.
The win pulls Benfica within one point of leaders Porto, but the scoreline also gives them a sudden advantage in the goal differential category, going from three behind Porto to seven in front. In the Primeira Liga, goal differential is not the primary tiebreaker - that is head-to-head points - but having already beaten Porto once, they now have some tiebreaker breathing room should they fall in the next meeting in early March.
