Lisbon, Portugal (My Sportsbook) - A pair of goals in either half decided it for Benfica on Thursday when it hosted Belenenses to a 4-0 triumph at the Estadio da Luz to conclude the final game of 2006 in the Portuguese league.

Sabrosa Simao opened the scoring in the 20th minute on a penalty-kick conversion after Belenenses' defender Joao Gaspar was called for a handball. Simao now leads Benfica with six goals in league play.

A minute before the recess, Giorgos Karagounis doubled the squad's lead when he scored on a free-kick that deflected off Gaspar and just missed the hands of goalkeeper Paulo Costinha before the Benfica midfielder hit the tally.

Belenenses seemed to have chances here and there, but nothing came through and then the hosts struck again in the 53rd minute when Francisco Fonseca followed-up a Nuno Gomes header, directing it right into the back of the net for Benfica's third.

It was all said and done when Greek midfielder Kostas Katsouranis got on the right end of a Simao free-kick in the 78th minute to make it 4-0 in favor of the third-place team.

Benfica holds strong at the third-place position with 29 points, eight below top-dog FC Porto and only three behind second-place Sporting, while Belenenses falls a position stuck at 20 points.