Porto end rivals Benfica's 55-match unbeaten run to open up gap at summit

[p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/benfica/zBkyuyRI/"]Benfica[/a] walked into a hostile Estadio do Dragao but certainly weren’t overawed by the occasion and took the game to [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/fc-porto/S2NmScGp/"]Porto[/a].[/p][p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/sudakov-heorhii/vT9ev7SJ/"]Heorhiy Sudakov[/a] came close to making an early mark when he burst down the left and saw a goal-bound effort blocked by the legs of [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/bednarek-jan/l4MMmL5S/"]Jan Bednarek[/a], and as the pressure began to grow, another big chance came and went when [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/prestianni-gianluca/C2bbqoRj/"]Gianluca Prestianni[/a] headed over [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/rafa-silva/xYS57zhq/"]Rafa Silva[/a]’s cross at the far post.[/p][image alt="Match stats" id="dace3cf1-0886-4203-aaf0-5f73c23aaa90" credit-line="Flashscore" guid="fc04fd86-61b1-4a2c-ba02-3563012c82de" original-width="2160" original-height="2700" /][p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/bah-alexander/Kn1rziON/"]Alexander Bah[/a] came even closer moments later when his volley was headed off the line by [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/rosario-pablo/E9pRzPPA/"]Pablo Rosario[/a], but several big chances coming and going begged the question of whether the visitors would live to regret them. [/p][p]The answer to that question was an emphatic ‘yes’, as Porto made their rivals pay in brutal fashion.[/p][p][b]Estadio do Dragao hit fever pitch on 31 minutes when [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/pep/6RPxL1Z4/"]Pepe[/a]’s floated delivery over the top was plucked out of the sky by [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/veiga-gabriel/Yan3ytt6/"]Gabri Veiga[/a], who managed to squeeze an effort underneath [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/soares-samuel/vJCWLDMd/"]Samuel Soares[/a] with just enough purchase to trickle over the line.[/b][/p][image alt="Gabri Veiga watches the ball go in" id="0b0f6f75-ad39-47f4-bb7d-62e550debf3f" credit-line="JOSÉ COELHO / EPA / Profimedia" guid="f164b602-efe1-4011-9c37-3b93cb916af8" original-width="1400" original-height="933" /][p]Things went from bad to worse for Marco Silva’s side less than five minutes later when a petulant flick of the hand in the face of [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/silva-andre/UZRsjD5h/"]Andre Silva[/a] earned [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/lenglet-clement/rH0mL7ws/"]Clement Lenglet[/a] a red card and left Benfica with a huge mountain to climb after the break.[/p][p]Clearly undeterred by the task ahead of them, whatever Silva said to his side at half-time did the trick as his team hit straight back.[/p][p][b]Prestianni proved to be elusive to the Porto defence down the left, and he whipped in a perfect delivery which landed perfectly on the head of Bah to turn home an unlikely equaliser.[/b][/p][image alt="Bah celebrates his goal" id="de22b058-e6bf-49f2-a83f-6e1b28aea061" credit-line="MANUEL FERNANDO ARAÚJO / EPA / Profimedia" guid="a8514f2b-aab0-4def-bdd5-b777203311a2" original-width="1400" original-height="933" /][p][b]That proved to be the wake-up call Francesco Farioli’s men needed to spark back into action, reestablishing their advantage three minutes after losing it when [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/froholdt-victor/MT3X8wqn/"]Victor Froholdt[/a] swept into the bottom corner from the edge of the area after being teed up by Silva.[/b][/p][p][b]Keen to leave nothing in doubt this time, Porto added a third on the hour mark through [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/hwang-in-beom/6Jo7zpif/"]Hwang In-beom[/a], who peeled away from his marker inside the area and fired Silva’s cut back high into the roof of the net.[/b][/p][image alt="Momentum graph" id="61d8683d-e9b7-46ef-b9d8-201569c2c593" credit-line="Flashscore" guid="435ea4a8-437a-41dd-b2cc-37c80f7cafb2" original-width="2160" original-height="2700" /][p]Several chances for Porto to add insult to Benfica’s injuries came and went, but with bragging rights assured, their evening’s work was long since done, as they laid down a huge early marker in their quest to retain their Primeira Liga crown.[/p][p][b]Flashscore Man of the Match: [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/rosario-pablo/E9pRzPPA/"]Pablo Rosario[/a] ([a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/fc-porto/S2NmScGp/"]Porto[/a])[/b][/p][p][b][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/soccer/benfica-zBkyuyRI/fc-porto-S2NmScGp/?mid=EeqKlS2e"]See all the stats from the match[/a][/b][/p]