Benfica emerged victorious with a 1-0 win over Monaco, with Vangelis Pavlidis scoring the winning goal. The home team had to play with a player less in the second half.
In November, Benfica had triumphed over Monaco with a 3-2 victory in the league phase, and they once again came out on top at the Stade Louis II with Pavlidis’ goal just after the break. The Greek player has now scored six goals in the last five Champions League games for his team, including a hat-trick in the thrilling 5-4 defeat against Barcelona last month.
In the 52nd minute, Monaco’s Moatasem Al-Musrati, who recently joined from Besiktas, was shown a red card for gesturing to the referee to give a yellow card. This resulted in him receiving a second caution and being sent off. Benfica will be aiming to secure their place in the next round in the return leg next week, and the winner will face either Liverpool or Barcelona in the last 16.
