16 alive with a late Talisca strike proving enough to beat
Monaco.
Needing to avoid defeat to have any chance of making it out of
Group C, Jorge Jesus' side had to wait until the 82nd minute in
Lisbon before the young striker lashed home a left-wing corner.
Under Leonardo Jardim, back in Portugal for the first time since
leaving Sporting Lisbon, Monaco created several chances but
were repeatedly denied by home goalkeeper Julio Cesar.
A draw would have suited the principality club but they were
denied by Talisca's first goal in the competition.
The win sees Benfica move level with Zenit St Petersburg on four
points, just one behind second-placed Monaco with two
matches remaining.
Jardel, replacing the suspended Lisandro Lopez, was one of four
changes for the hosts from the sides' meeting two weeks ago,
and they made a positive start to proceedings.
Nicolas Gaitan was first to test Danijel Subasic with a low shot
after a mazy run and a minute later Eduardo Salvio dragged an
effort wide of the Monaco goal.
Monaco, who gave Lacina Traore his first start in the Champions
League in place of the injured Dimitar Berbatov, found
themselves on the back foot for large parts of the first half, but
were grateful that Benfica's finishing lacked accuracy.
Eventually the visitors came into the game but they too were
wasteful.
A 37th-minute Joao Moutinho corner was only cleared as far as
Yannick Ferreira-Carrasco, but the Belgian volleyed well over the
crossbar from the edge of the penalty area.
Gaitan had the best opening of the half as the interval beckoned,
but, having found space inside the penalty area, his effort from
12 yards was superbly deflected over his own crossbar by
Andrea Raggi.
Talisca, who had scored eight in his last nine Benfica matches,
then went close but his powerful shot on 51 minutes was
pushed away by Subasic.
As the hour approached Monaco began to pressurise the Benfic
goal, and they would have been ahead had Cesar not made a
fine save to deny Ferreira-Carrasco before Luisao bravely
blocked Traore as the Ivorian burst clear.
With the game becoming stretched in the closing 15 minutes
both sides found themselves in good positions, and from a late
Benfica corner the breakthrough finally came.
Gaitan's corner was flicked on by Derley and Talisca benefited
with a low finish under the body of Subasic from inside the six-
yard box.
Sent from my BlackBerry® wireless handheld from Glo Mobile.
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