Ramos scores twice as Benfica thrash Brugge to leave Scott Parker in trouble

Clinical Benfica thrashed Scott Parker’s Club Brugge 5-1 with two goals from Gonçalo Ramos to knock the Belgian side out of the Champions League and reach the quarter-finals 7-1 on aggregate at the Estádio da Luz.

Led by a tireless João Mário, who netted a late penalty, and the in-form Ramos, Benfica showed exactly why they are seen in Portugal as the country’s best side since José Mourinho’s Porto were crowned European champions 19 years ago.

“We have one objective and it’s winning every game we play going forward,” Rafa Silva, who had opened the scoring late in the first half, told Eleven Sports.

Benfica took control from the start as they pressured their rivals in the heavy rain that poured down in Lisbon. João Mário had a goal ruled out by VAR in the first minute for an offside in the buildup and Benfica then wasted several clear chances as the visitors looked well out of their depth.

Struggling in the Belgian league, Brugge were coming off an embarrassing 3-0 loss to lowly Oostende at the weekend and are currently languishing fourth in the standings, having now won only two of their past 15 matches in all competitions.

Parker, who only joined as manager on New Year’s Eve, is under mounting pressure as Brugge manager. When asked if he expected to remain in charge for Sunday’s league game against Standard Liège, the Englishman replied: “I’m not sure. I’m not in control of that. That question has been aimed at me for some weeks now. That momentum has picked up. You’re probably asking the wrong person for that question. What I am is fully committed to trying to turn this corner around.”

The Belgian side were outclassed by a well-organised Benfica side, who remain unbeaten in this season’s Champions League and have lost