During the first leg of the knockout phase of the Champions League playoff tie, Benfica obtained crucial points with a 1-0 victory over Monaco. The match at Stade Louis II saw a goal by Vangelis Pavlidis after 48 minutes, in which he slightly lobbed the ball over the Monaco goalie Radoslaw Majecki from a very sharp angle.
A sweeping ball from Benfica’s right-back Tomás Araújo found Pavlidis in the box. The Greek striker shrugged off Salisu before executing an exquisite chip over the onrushing Majecki.
Things went even worse for Monaco four minutes later when Moatasem Al Musrati was shown a second yellow card and sent off. Struggling with frustration regarding a referee’s decision, the midfielder had tried to convince the referee that Benfica’s Alvaro Carreras should receive a second yellow card, but it was he instead who was booked and dismissed.
Even though, down to 10 men, Monaco managed to keep things down to just one goal. Benfica was able to create more chances to double their advantage but Majecki denied Pavlidis, while other attempts got blocked or went wide.
With this result, Benfica acquires a solid advantage going into the second leg at Estadio do Sport Lisboa e Benfica in Lisbon next week. Monaco will miss their suspended Al Musrati, alongside captain Denis Zakaria and Vanderson, both of whom picked up yellow cards.
Match Stats:
– Goals: Vangelis Pavlidis (Benfica) 48′
– Red Card: Moatasem Al Musrati (Monaco) 52′
– Yellow Cards: Alvaro Carreras (Benfica), Denis Zakaria (Monaco), Vanderson (Monaco).
