The Greek striker opened the scoring from the penalty spot in the 34th minute, coolly slotting his right-footed effort into the bottom left corner after Estoril conceded a foul in the box. Just as the first half appeared destined to end with Benfica's slender advantage intact, Pavlidis struck again in first-half stoppage time, latching onto Leandro Barreiro's perfectly weighted through ball and firing a right-footed shot from the left side of the box into the bottom right corner.
But Estoril had other ideas. Deep into first-half stoppage time, João Carvalho produced a moment of magic, rifling a right-footed shot from the center of the box into the top left corner after Rafik Guitane's clever assist. The visitors headed into the break trailing by just one goal, their belief intact and the home crowd suddenly anxious.
The second half became a test of Benfica's patience and precision. Heorhii Sudakov orchestrated play from midfield, while Barreiro's tireless running created space for the attacking trio. Amar Dedic pushed forward relentlessly from right-back, and Samuel Dahl provided width on the opposite flank. Yet Estoril's defensive structure, marshaled by Kévin Boma and Felix Bacher, held firm for much of the period. Goalkeeper Joel Robles made crucial interventions, while Jordan Holsgrove and Jandro Orellana disrupted Benfica's rhythm in midfield with well-timed challenges.
Despite launching 20 shots at goal compared to Estoril's nine, Benfica managed just three on target, highlighting their wastefulness in front of goal. The teams shared possession almost equally at 51.4%-48.6%, but the home side's dominance in attacking intent was clear through their seven corners to Estoril's three. Manu Silva and Richard Ríos controlled the tempo for Benfica, yet the visitors' compact defensive shape frustrated the hosts' attempts to seal the victory.
The turning point arrived in the 80th minute when Pavlidis completed his hat-trick with ruthless efficiency. From close range, the striker pounced on a loose ball and drilled his right-footed shot into the bottom right corner, finally breaking Estoril's resistance. The goal sparked relief throughout Estádio da Luz and vindicated manager Roger Schmidt's decision to keep his talisman on the pitch despite earlier profligacy.
Tomás Araújo and Nicolás Otamendi kept Alejandro Marqués and Yanis Begraoui quiet throughout, while Anatoliy Trubin made three important saves to preserve Benfica's advantage.
Estoril will host Estrela on January 18, seeking to bounce back from this defeat and climb away from the lower reaches of the table.