Champions League Round-up | Benfica defeat Dortmund; Di Maria shines as PSG stun Barcelona
Riding on the lone goal scored by Greek professional Kostas Mitroglou, Benfica defeated Borussia Dortmund in their Champions League last-16 tie in Lisbon. Meanwhile, Angel Di Maria’s double strike helped set up Paris St-Germain's 4-0 win over La Liga giants Barcelona.
Benfica 1 - 0 Borussia Dortmund
Although Dortmund dominated the proceedings, their centre-forward missed a second-half penalty and some modest finishes didn’t help their cause at all. Benfica striker Mitroglou converted a 48th-minute corner successfully to give the underdogs a 1-0 lead.of 1-0.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang had a chance to draw level in the 53rd minute but the effort was saved by Benfica’s Brazilian goalkeeper Ederson.
Both sides had to deal with a fair amount of injuries in the match and Benfica's Jonas and Lisandro Lopez sustained injuries before the match, while Andrija Zivkovic was suspended for disciplinary reasons. Similarly, Dortmund’s Mario Gotze failed a fitness test, while Sven Bender, Nuri
The two sides will again meet again in Dortmund for the second leg on 8 March.
Paris Saint-Germain 4 - 0 Barcelona
Barcelona's 4-0 defeat have put the Spanish side in danger of not qualifying for the Champions League quarter-finals for the first time in a decade. Julian Draxler and Edinson Cavani scored one goal apiece for PSG side and Di Maria the other two.
In 2013 and 2015, Barcelona knocked out PSG from the Champions League and this time PSG exacted sweet revenge. Di Maria, who was celebrating his 29th birthday, fired a free-kick to give PSG a 1-0 lead in the 18th minute.
Draxler, making his Champions League debut, scored the second goal in the 40th minute to leave Barcelona in tatters. Di Maria scored his second goal in the 55th before Cavani closed it out.
Luis Enrique's side will host PSG in the return leg on 8 March.
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