Benfica suffered a devastating 5-0 defeat at the hands of Porto at the Estadio Dragao, resulting in them losing their top spot in the Primeira Liga ahead of their Europa League clash with Rangers next week. The Eagles, managed by Roger Schmidt, will need to bounce back from this defeat as they prepare to face Rangers in the first leg of their last 16 Europa League tie at the Estadio da Luz on Thursday.

Porto’s Brazilian forward Galeno struck twice in the first half, putting Benfica 2-0 down at the break. The match was further out of reach for Benfica when Wendell added a third goal on 56 minutes. The night went from bad to worse for Benfica as their captain and centre-half Nicolas Otamendi was sent off for a second bookable offence, and Porto’s Pepe netted the fourth goal on 75 minutes. Substitute Danny Namaso sealed the 5-0 victory for Porto in stoppage time.

This defeat comes as the second blow for Benfica in less than a week, following their 2-1 loss to Sporting CP in the Lisbon derby. With their fans expecting a strong response, Benfica will be looking to regroup as they prepare to take on Philippe Clement’s Rangers. Meanwhile, Rangers faced their own setback over the weekend, losing 2-1 at home to Motherwell.

As the two teams gear up for their Europa League encounter, the pressure is on Benfica to recover from their recent defeats and deliver a strong performance against Rangers. The outcome of this upcoming match will be crucial for both teams as they aim to progress in the Europa League.