Benfica crush Everton

The Premier League side’s 100 per cent Group I record was ended in style as Javier Saviola (pictured) and Oscar Cardozo scored twice apiece, with skipper Luisao also on target.

Argentine Saviola and Paraguayan Cardozo were helped by some brilliant approach play from two other Argentines, former Valencia star Pablo Aimar and Diego Maradona’s first-choice left-winger Angel Di Maria, who looked world-class in the face of Everton’s woefully inept back-line.

The first half was an entertaining affair, helped by a combination Benfica’s offensive prowess and Everton’s defensive inexperience, with Seamus Coleman (21) and Dan Gosling (19) filling in at left and right-back for the Toffees.

The Portuguese side, who are unbeaten in their domestic league this season, dominated the match with Everton chasing shadows throughout.

Luisao should have put the hosts ahead on six minutes but the Brazil centre-half headed Aimar’s corner wide.

Saviola put Jorge Jesus’s side in front eight minutes later, when he lost Coleman and rifled a volley off the ground and past Tim Howard following a hanging cross from Di Maria.

Luisao had another great chance to score when, after Everton failed to fully clear a corner, Di Maria swung a superb cross from the left that the big defender put wide after evading Irish debutant Coleman, who was worryingly out of his depth.

Di Maria was on fire, surging down the left past Gosling at will and from one of his crosses Sylvain Distin almost netted a spectacular own-goal but his sliced clearance - necessary because Cardozo was ready to finish - flew over the Everton bar.

The resultant corner by Aimar wreaked yet more havoc, but Luisao and fellow Brazilian defender David Luiz saw shots blocked by desperate blue shirts lunging in the box.

The latter stages of the half saw Everton earn more possession and create some half-chances, the best of which fell to Diniyar Bilyaletdinov, who smashed a rasping volley inches over.

Benfica were good value for their lead going into the break, and with limited options on the bench - Louis Saha, returning from injury, was the only senior outfield player - Toffees boss David Moyes had to make do with his starting XI for the second half.

The hosts came out looking even more dangerous and they were 3-0 up with Everton fans barely back in their seats after their half-time bar-break as Benfica’s Bermuda triangle swallowed Everton whole.

A minute after the restart Aimar released Saviola, whose low left-wing cross was tapped into the empty net by Cardozo.

Sixty seconds later Cardozo doubled his tally for the night and made it 11 goals in 12 club games this season when he nodded past Howard after Aimar again released Saviola on the left.

Having a teenage midfielder play right-back is not ideal at the best of times, and when he is faced with Argentina and Brazil internationals it is borderline culpable homicide.

Di Maria embarrassed Gosling by digging out a cross-shot that Howard had to tip over when the makeshift defender thought he had showed him down a blind alley.

His confidence already shot, Gosling was placed on far-post corner duty but could only watch as, on 52 minutes, his team-mates allowed Luisao to power a header into the ground that bounced over the former Plymouth man’s head.

The waves of red attacks were incessant, as Di Maria popped up on the right and pinged a vicious drive off the crossbar, while Paraguayan Cardozo - who, like much of the Benfica side, is expected go to this summer’s World Cup - should have sealed his hat-trick but fired straight at Howard after more Champagne football from Argentina bench-warmers Saviola and Aimar.

The introduction of Saha brought a brief resurgence for Everton, with the France striker turning and firing a low half-volley off the post.

That was a blip though, as after Gosling and Coleman were again caught out of position, Di Maria raced away from makeshift centre-half Tony Hibbert and slid the ball low across the face of goal for Saviola to nab his second and Benfica’s fifth.

There were still seven minutes plus stoppage time for Benfica to add insult to injury by running rings around Everton with backheels and nutmegs, with Di Maria switching to the right to bully Coleman with some outrageous tricks to expose the lack of depth in Moyes’s squad.

The final whistle was welcomed by Everton, who lose the group leadership to Benfica but cling on to second after BATE Borisov beat AEK Athens.