Benfica earned a valuable victory in their visit to Monaco with a 1-0 win in the first leg of the Champions League playoff. A goal by Pavlidis was enough for the Portuguese team to take the advantage to Lisbon, where they will be looking to seal the tie.
However, the victory was not without controversy, as Al-Musrati was controversially sent off in the second half, leaving the home side a player down. In addition, concern grew in the Portuguese squad with the injury of Angel Di Maria, who had to leave the field in the last minutes.
The match had moments of good pace, although both teams showed caution, knowing that the series will be defined in two matches. Benfica was more effective and knew how to take advantage of their chances, while Monaco showed difficulties to generate danger and ended up paying for their lack of decisiveness.
A First Half of Study and Few Occasions
From the start, it was clear that neither team wanted to risk too much. Monaco tried to take the initiative, but found it difficult to break down Benfica's defensive structure, which was orderly and without fissures. Despite a few isolated attempts, such as a shot from Akliouche that demanded a great response from Trubin, the home team was unable to impose itself on the game.
Benfica, for their part, grew as the minutes went by and took advantage of their opponent's inaccuracies to generate danger in attack. Álvaro Carreras came close to opening the scoring with a shot inside the box, but his shot was saved by Majecki. The first half ended goalless and with the feeling that neither team had shown its best version.
Pavlidis Breaks Tie And Controversy Seizes The Match
The start of the second half showed a Benfica more determined to win. The reward came thanks to a great individual play by Pavlidis, who cleverly broke free and finished with an elegant lob in front of the goalkeeper. The goal silenced the stadium and put Monaco on the back foot, forcing them to react.
However, when the home team was trying to reorganize to go for the equalizer, referee Mariani made a decision that changed the course of the match. Al-Musrati, in a play in midfield, asked for Alvaro Carreras to be sent off after a foul, but instead of seeing a penalty for his opponent, it was he who received a second yellow card that left him out of the match. The decision generated surprise and anger in the Principality team, which was left with a numerical disadvantage.
With an extra man, Benfica took advantage of the situation to control the pace of the game and keep the ball away from their area. Monaco, hit hard by the expulsion, failed to react clearly and saw their chances of equalizing vanish.
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DI Maria Injured And Benfica Leaves Series Open
When the match seemed to be under control for the Portuguese, bad news arrived. Ángel Di María, who had entered the field in the second half to provide experience and imbalance, suffered a muscle injury that forced him to leave the field before the end of the match. The Argentinean left the field visibly affected, causing concern among Benfica's coaching staff, who must now wait for the medical results to know the seriousness of the injury.
Despite the blow to their morale, Bruno Lage's team was able to close the game intelligently and avoid any surprises in the final minutes. They even came close to extending their lead with a couple of clear chances, but Majecki prevented the score from being any higher.
With a 0-1 lead, Benfica will go into the second leg with the advantage and the backing of their fans, but aware that there is still work to be done. Monaco, on the other hand, will have to look for an achievement in Lisbon if they want to stay alive in the Champions League.
The tie is still open, but Benfica have struck the first blow. The big question now is whether Di María will be available for the decisive match or whether the Argentine's injury will affect his performance in the most important part of the season.
