Lisbon, March 22 (IANS): Rio Ave beat Benfica 2-1 in the 26th round of the Portuguese league at the Rio Ave stadium in Vila do Conde.
Benfica midfielder Eduardo Salvio opened the scoring in the fourth minute following a pass from Pizzi, Xinhua reported on Saturday.
In the 73th minute Benfica's Greek midfielder Samaras fouled with a hand ball in the area. Rio Ave forward Ukra equalised with the penalty kick.
Yonatan Del Valle then sealed Rio Ave's win in stoppage time.
Benfica lost its chance to further distance itself from rivals FC Porto, who also played on Saturday night.
FC Porto was held to a 1-1 draw by Nacional, with goals from Tello in the 44th minute and Wagner in the 61st respectively.
Benfica stands at the top of the Portuguese league with 65 points, three points more than FC Porto.
Rio Ave stands sixth with 36 points and Nacional stands ninth with 33.