Lisbon, Portugal (SportsNetwork.com) - Benfica climbed to the top of the Portuguese Liga on Sunday by securing a 2-0 home victory over rivals FC Porto with goals from Rodrigo and Ezequiel Garay.
Sporting Lisbon's 0-0 draw at Estoril on Saturday meant that the winner of Sunday's match between Benfica and Porto would take over first place, and the hosts wasted little time in seizing the advantage.
Rodrigo tracked down a through ball and fired a shot high into the net after 13 minutes, while Garay doubled the advantage early in the second half.
The defender benefited from a corner kick in the 53rd minute as he rose above his marker to head home his third league goal of the campaign.
Porto was reduced to 10 men in the 75th minute when Danilo collected a second yellow card, effectively ending any comeback hope for the defending champions.
Benfica now sits two points clear of Sporting, while Porto is three points back having suffered its second defeat of the campaign.
With the top four sides in action against each other this weekend, fifth-place Nacional gained a bit of ground with a 2-0 win over Gil Vicente courtesy of goals from Fernando Marcal and Diego Barcelos.
Olhanense came from a goal down to top Setubal, 2-1, Arouca downed Belenenses, 2-0, in a battle of bottom-half sides, while Academica scored three unanswered goals in a 4-2 win over last-place Pacos Ferreira.
Rio Ave salvaged a 1-1 draw against Maritimo with an 89th-minute goal from Joeano and Raul Rusescu tallied a pair of goals in the second half to help Braga claimed a 3-0 win over Guimaraes.
