Sudakov assist helps Benfica thrash Hearts in Europa League
Heorhii Sudakov provided an assist as Benfica secured a dominant 6-1 victory over Scottish side Hearts in the Europa League qualifying.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 3.0 / Author: Alvesgaspar
In the first leg of the third qualifying round of the Europa League, Benfica emphatically defeated Scottish club Hearts with a 6-1 scoreline at home.
The hosts opened the scoring as early as the third minute through Rafa Silva. In the 23rd minute, the "Eagles" doubled their lead thanks to a goal from Tomas Araujo, who was set up by Ukrainian midfielder Heorhii Sudakov.
For the 23-year-old Ukrainian, this was his first goal contribution since mid-January, when he provided an assist in a league match against Rio Ave.
Vangelis Pavlidis added a third goal before half-time. In the second half, Gianluca Prestianni, Jhon Duran, and Andreas Schjelderup, who converted a penalty, all found the net. Tom Renaud scored the consolation goal for the visitors. Ukrainian goalkeeper Anatolii Trubin remained on the bench for the duration of the match.