Champions League 2016: Tuesday's Round of 16 Results and Updated Top Scorers
Jonas scored a last-minute winner to guide Benfica past Zenit St. Petersburg during the first leg of their 2015-16 UEFA Champions League clash, and the Portuguese side will travel to Russia with a 1-0 lead.
The match seemed destined to finish in a scoreless draw, but Domenico Criscito gave away a needless free-kick in the dying minutes, and Jonas converted the golden chance to win the match. Criscito was also handed a red card for his troubles and will be suspended for the return leg.
Elsewhere, Paris Saint-Germain beat Chelsea, 2-1, courtesy of goals from Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Edinson Cavani.
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Here's a look at the current Champions League top scorers, which saw no significant changes:
| 1 | Cristiano Ronaldo | Real Madrid | 11 |
| 2 | Robert Lewandowski | Bayern Munich | 7 |
| 3 | Artem Dzyuba | Zenit | 6 |
| 4 | Javier Hernandez | Bayer Leverkusen | 5 |
| 4 | Luis Suarez | Barcelona | 5 |
| 4 | Olivier Giroud | Arsenal | 5 |
| 4 | Thomas Muller | Bayern Munich | 5 |
| 4 | Willian | Chelsea | 5 |
| 9 | Admir Mehmedi | Bayer Leverkusen | 4 |
| 9 | Antoine Griezmann | Atletico Madrid | 4 |
| 12 | Zlatan Ibrahimovic | PSG | 3 |
| 23 | Edinson Cavani | PSG | 2 |
| 23 | Jonas | Benfica | 2 |
Recap
Benfica and Zenit served up a close, but relatively, dull 90 minutes, but there was plenty of late drama to be found at the Estadio da Luz, as Jonas gave the home fans a reason to celebrate.
Zenit came into the match without any real match rhythm, as the Russian Premier League has been on winter break for some time, but the visitors made a solid impression during the opening stages.
While Benfica saw most of the ball, Zenit countered with numbers, and star forward Artem Dzyuba proved a handful for the Benfica defence. On the other side of the pitch, Konstantinos Mitroglou also made his presence felt.
The hosts had the better chances in the first half, and Sport Witness' Jan Hagen thought they started brightly:
Good chances were few, however, as Zenit remained disciplined on the defensive end and appeared to be playing for a draw. The Russians knew they would have a major advantage if they managed to keep Benfica scoreless, with the return leg set to be played in St. Petersburg, putting lots of travel strain on the Portuguese side.
Mitroglou thought he had opened the score after 33 minutes, but the official rightly ruled the goal out for offside, and Hulk came close for the visitors, firing a free-kick just wide of the target from 25 yards out.
Benfica showed more attacking intentions in the second half, but chances remained rare. Nicolas Gaitan drew a fine save from Yuri Lodygin with 21 minutes remaining, but otherwise, the Portuguese side rarely tested the Russian defence.
The match seemed headed for a scoreless draw, until Criscito gave away a free-kick in a dangerous area and was shown a red card. Gaitan curled the ball into the box, and Jonas jumped higher than anyone and powered a header home.
DW Sports couldn't help themselves:
Zenit will still like their chances of advancing to the next round, as the Petrovsky Stadium is a notoriously difficult ground to visit, and temperatures in St. Petersburg can still drop dramatically this early in the year. But Jonas' goal makes Benfica favourites to advance at this point.
Elsewhere, Cavani powered home a shot from a tight angle to hand PSG a 2-1 advantage over Chelsea. Ibrahimovic had opened the score for the in-form hosts, before John Obi Mikel tied things up just before half-time.
Les Parisiens increased the pressure in the second half and deservedly found a winner, but they couldn't add to their lead and will have to be at their best in the return leg to advance.
The Champions League's top scorer will have the chance to add to his remarkable tally on Wednesday, as Cristiano Ronaldo and Real Madrid will travel to Italy to take on AS Roma.
Ronaldo already has 11 goals under his belt, four more than any other player, but he hasn't found the net away from the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu since November, per WhoScored.com.
He doesn't think there's anything wrong with his form, however. Per Football Italia, he said: “I’m used to it [the criticism], I consider it normal. I’ve been good to people, I’ve always given them everything and as soon as you slow down a bit journalists write all this. I’d sign on to continue in this form.”
Roma have looked much improved since new manager Luciano Spalletti took control of the club, and they will present Los Blancos with a serious challenge.
The team is unbeaten under new manager Zinedine Zidane, however, and will like their chances of grabbing a win at the Stadio Olimpico.
