Benfica took a major step towards the Champions League last-16 with a 1-0 victory over Monaco at the Stade Louis II, capitalising on their numerical advantage after Al-Musrati’s second-half dismissal. Vangelis Pavlidis scored the decisive goal early in the second half, giving the Portuguese side the upper hand ahead of the return leg in Lisbon.
Monaco fought bravely despite being reduced to ten men, but their hopes of a comeback were repeatedly thwarted by Anatolii Trubin’s solid saving and a resolute Benfica backline. The result leaves the Ligue 1 side with an uphill battle in the second leg as they seek to overturn the deficit away from home.
As it happened
The game began with both teams probing for an opening, and Monaco had the first sight of goal when Maghnes Akliouche forced Anatolii Trubin into an early save. Benfica responded in kind, with Orkun Kökçü testing Radoslaw Majecki with a dipping effort from distance.
Monaco’s best moment of the first half came in the 42nd minute when Aleksandr Golovin drove forward and unleashed a powerful strike from 25 yards. However, Trubin was equal to it, palming the shot away to keep the scores level going into the break.
Benfica emerged stronger in the second half and needed just three minutes to break the deadlock. A quick transition saw Tomás Araújo slide a through ball down the right flank, where Pavlidis outmuscled Mohammed Salisu before delicately chipping the onrushing Majecki to put the visitors in front.
Monaco’s night went from bad to worse in the 52nd minute when Al-Musrati was sent off for a second bookable offence, leaving the hosts with ten men for the remainder of the match. Despite the numerical disadvantage, they pushed forward in search of an equalizer, with Denis Zakaria coming closest in the 82nd minute. The Swiss midfielder found himself in space on the edge of the box but curled a tame effort into Trubin’s grateful hands.
Benfica had opportunities to put the tie beyond reach late on, with Kökçü and Kerem Aktürkoğlu both seeing efforts denied inside a crowded penalty area. Despite their inability to add a second, the visitors expertly managed the game’s latter stages, staying compact and disciplined to secure a vital away victory.
With a 1-0 advantage heading into the return leg at the Estádio da Luz on 20th-Feb, Benfica are now in pole position to progress. Monaco, meanwhile, will need to summon something special on the road if they are to turn the tie around and keep their Champions League ambitions alive.
The lineups
ASM: Majecki; Oliveira Campos, Kehrer, Salisu, Diatta; Zakaria, El Masrati; Akliouche, Embolo, Golovin; Biereth.
BEN: Trubin; Araújo, Silva, Otamendi, Fernández; Aursnes, Morris Luís; Kokcu, Akturkoglu, Pavlidis; Schjelderup.