Benfica Beat Alverca 1-0 as Pavlidis Penalty Decides Matchday 10 at Estadio da Luz

Benfica beat Alverca 1-0 at Estadio da Luz in Lisbon on Monday, November 2, 2026, in Liga Portugal Matchday 10. Vangelis Pavlidis scored the only goal of the match, a penalty in the 51st minute, and Benfica took the three points after a first half that ended 0-0.

A goalless first half with one big Alverca moment

The first half ended without a goal, but Alverca had the moment that could have changed the night. Forward Yaya Bojang was booked in the 15th minute. Ten minutes later, in the 25th minute, Bojang had a goal disallowed by VAR. The score stayed 0-0, and Benfica went into half time level despite holding more of the ball.

The half time change and the penalty

Benfica made a change at half time. Andreas Schjelderup came off and Claudio Echeverri came on. Six minutes later, in the 51st minute, Pavlidis scored from the penalty spot to put Benfica 1-0 up. It was the only goal of the match. Alverca spent the rest of the game trying to find a reply, and Benfica protected the lead to full time.

The numbers behind a narrow score

The final numbers show why the narrow score still reflected Benfica control. Benfica finished with 65 percent possession to 35 percent for Alverca. Benfica took 13 shots to 8 for Alverca. Shots on target were level, with 4 for each side, so Alverca did test Benfica, but the penalty was the one effort that counted on the scoreboard. Bruno Pires Costa was the referee for the match at Estadio da Luz.

What the result does to the table

The win leaves Benfica second in Liga Portugal on 22 points. The record given with the result is seven wins, one draw and one defeat. Alverca stay ninth on 11 points after the loss in Lisbon. For Benfica, the value of the night is clear: a tight home match, a clean sheet, and three points from a single penalty. For Alverca, the disallowed goal in the first half will stand as the closest they came to taking something from the game.

One goal, protected to the end

After the penalty, the match stayed at 1-0. Alverca had matched Benfica on shots on target, 4 to 4, so the lead was never safe on the numbers alone. Benfica still held the larger share of the ball and the higher shot count, and that control helped them close the game out at home. The final whistle confirmed the 1-0 result, the clean sheet, and second place for Benfica on a night when one penalty kick decided everything.