- Benfica Lisbon won the first leg of the Champions League round of 16 away at Bruges 2-0.
- Joao Mario from the penalty spot and David Neres score for the Portuguese.
- The second leg will take place in Lisbon on March 7th.
- Borussia Dortmund celebrates a 1-0 home win against Chelsea.
On February 1st, Benfica Lisbon had to accept the departure of its driver Enzo Fernandez. The Argentine world champion moved to Chelsea. However, the personnel setback does not seem to have upset the Portuguese. In the first leg of the Champions League Round of 16, they continued their impressive run from the group stage (1st place ahead of PSG and Juventus).
With the 2-0 win in the first leg in Bruges, Benfica created a good starting position to move into the quarter-finals of the “premier class” for the second time in a row. The decisive scenes happened after 50 minutes: Bruges’ Jack Hendry kicked Gonçalo Ramos in the penalty area, referee Davide Massa immediately pointed to the point. With a bit of luck, Joao Mario converted the penalty due to a 1-0 lead.
Neres makes the decision
Brugge started the game better and created the first chances. The guests from Lisbon became more dangerous after around 20 minutes. Benfica’s Rafa Silva missed the best chance to take the lead, hitting the post from close range. Shortly before the break Bruges cheered. Odoi’s supposed opening goal was disallowed for offside.
After the penalty, Lisbon temporarily withdrew a little, Bruges had more opportunities, but were not efficient enough. And so it was finally David Neres who made everything clear in the closing stages. The striker escaped the opposing defense and pushed in dryly to make it 2-0.
Here’s how to proceed
The decision as to which of the two teams will advance to the quarter-finals will only be made in just under three weeks. The second leg will take place in Lisbon on Tuesday 7 March.