Benfica batters Brugge in UCL rout
A rampant Benfica eased into the Champions League quarter-finals as Goncalo Ramos' double helped secure a 5-1 second-leg home win over Club Brugge.
Rafa Silva, Joao Mario and David Neres were also on target as Benfica ruthlessly stamped out any hopes of a Brugge comeback with a sparkling display at the Estadio da Luz on Wednesday (AEDT), sealing a 7-1 aggregate victory.
Scott Parker's side faced a daunting task after suffering a 2-0 defeat in the first leg, and its goal lived a charmed life early on when Joao Mario's flick was disallowed for offside.
Brugge's resistance was broken when Silva's clever footwork gave him the space to nudge into the far corner, before Ramos lashed home a second.
Ramos doubled his tally to make it 3-0 and Joao Mario added a fourth from the penalty spot after Gilberto was felled by Abakar Sylla.
Neres slotted past Simon Mignolet to complete the rout, with Bjorn Meijer's excellent consolation strike the only blemish on Benfica's copybook.