Playing with 10-men for over an hour of the game, Barcelona showed character and defeated Benfica 1-0 in the first leg of the Champions League round of 16.
It was a frenetic start to the contest with both teams trading punches early. Robert Lewandowski had a clear chance in the opening fifteen minutes, but both of his close range shots were saved by Anatoliy Turbin. The game completely changed in the 22nd minute, though, when Pau Cubarsí was sent off for a dangerous slide-tackle, denying Vangelis Pavlidis a clear scoring opportunity.
