Argentina winger Gianluca Prestianni continued his sensational form to dig Benfica out of a hole on the Azorean island of São Miguel this evening.
High-flying Santa Clara were good value for a half-time lead, obtained thanks to a penalty converted by Fernando.
Benfica came out strongly after the interval but it needed two pieces of brilliance from Prestianni to turn the result around.
First the diminutive winger burst into the box from the left flank and angled a perfect pass with the outside of his foot to Vangelis Pavlidis, who scored from point-blank range.
A few minutes later it was Prestianni himself who scored, wriggling free of the attentions of Santa Clara’s defenders, advancing into the box and rifling a smart finish into the corner of the net.
The 20-year-old Prestianni has been hands-down the best player in Portugal this season, and tonight’s efforts bring his numbers up to 10 goals and 6 assists in 16 matches.
The victory keeps Benfica in touch with Porto at the top of the table, the Eagles five points behind the Dragons.
