Porto demolishes Nacional 7-0, Benfica stays on top
LISBON, Portugal (AP) — FC Porto got braces from Andre Silva and Tiquinho Soares to fuel its 7-0 rout of 10-man Nacional in the Portuguese league on Saturday.
The lopsided win left Porto in second place, one point behind Benfica after it edged Feirense on the road.
Oliver Torres, Yacine Brahimi, and Miguel Layun added goals in an eighth consecutive win in the domestic competition for Porto.
"We have said that this winning streak only means that the next game is the most important," Porto coach Nuno Espirito Santo said.
Soares, signed in January, continued his excellent start by scoring in all five league games he has appeared in, while Silva scored his 14th and 15th goals in the league this season.
In two weeks Porto visits Juventus needing to overturn a 2-0 loss in the return leg of their Champions League round-of-16 tie.
Porto waited half an hour to get going through Torres.
Brahimi doubled the lead just before halftime, and then Porto poured it on.
Silva got his first goal in the 51st, and three minutes later Soares put in a rebound.
Nacional went down a man in 62nd when Tobias Figueiredo earned a second booking.
Layun made it 4-0 by striking home a free kick before Soares and Silva rounded off the win.
Benfica remain on top thanks to Luis "Pizzi" Fernandes' goal just before halftime at Feirense.
