Benfica moved closer to the Champions League last 16 with a 1-0 victory over 10-man AS Monaco in the first leg of their playoff clash on Wednesday.
Vangelis Pavlidis struck the decisive goal early in the second half, moments before Moatasem Al-Musrati was sent off after receiving a second yellow card.
Having already beaten Monaco 3-2 at Louis II Stadium during the group stage in November, Benfica maintained their unbeaten streak against the French side in European competitions.
The second leg is set for next Tuesday, with the winners potentially facing Barcelona or Liverpool in the next round.
“We are really disappointed, we had a good first half. We conceded that goal. I’ll be honest, we got killed off a bit, from a potential yellow card (against them) to an exclusion against us,” said Monaco forward Breel Embolo.
“We were punished for an action where Benfica’s fullback could have been booked and we were the ones getting booked. It’s not a good result, let’s be honest. There’s still the return leg and we’re staying positive.”
The match started with high intensity as Alvaro Carreras and Maghnes Akliouche tested the waters for Benfica and Monaco, but the tempo slowed as the half wore on.
Monaco controlled possession but struggled to create clear chances, allowing Benfica to head into the break unscathed.
Things quickly unraveled for the hosts after the interval. Pavlidis broke the deadlock in the 48th minute with a delicate chip over Monaco goalkeeper Radoslaw Majecki, and four minutes later, Al-Musrati received his marching orders.
Majecki kept Monaco in the game with a brilliant save to deny Pavlidis just after the hour mark, but despite their efforts, the home side failed to mount a serious challenge to equalize.
