Champions League Results 2016: Qualified Teams After Wednesday Round-of-16 Ties
Benfica became the third team to survive the round of 16 of the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday, beating Zenit St. Petersburg 2-1 to advance with an aggregate score of 3-1.
The two teams served up a tense match that saw few chances until Hulk broke the deadlock with a header with 21 minutes left to play. The match appeared to be headed for extra time, but Nicholas Gaitan powered Benfica through to the next round with a late goal. Anderson Talisca added a second goal for good measure.
In Wednesday's other match, Paris-Saint Germain beat Chelsea, 2-1, taking the tie with an aggregate score of 4-2. Here's a look at the teams who have qualified for the quarter-finals of the Champions League:
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| Tuesday, March 8 | Real Madrid 2-0 (4-0) AS Roma | Real Madrid |
| Tuesday, March 8 | Wolfsburg 1-0 (4-2) AA Gent | Wolfsburg |
| Wednesday, March 9 | Zenit 1-2 (1-3) Benfica | Benfica |
| Wednesday, March 9 | Chelsea 1-2 (2-4) PSG | PSG |
As shared by beIN Sports, Zenit came into the match with few significant injuries or suspensions, and they were able to field a strong starting XI, including the likes of Hulk, Axel Witsel and Artem Dzyuba:
Benfica came into the match defending a one-goal lead, but they had no intention of sitting back and inviting pressure. Jonas fired the first shot on goal from a free-kick, forcing Yuri Lodygin into a save.
On the other side of the pitch, Dzyuba came within inches of firing Zenit ahead, showing his strength before shooting just wide. CNN Football Club noted the forward has been in stunning form all season long:
The hosts were happy to concede possession to Benfica, something the home fans were far from happy with, and Renato Sanches came close to opening the score with a powerful drive. The better chances continued to fall to Zenit, however, and Ederson Moraes needed to be at his best to deny Dzyuba and Danny slicing through the defence.
The pace of the match dropped as the first half wore on, however, as both teams clearly felt the pressure and were afraid to commit too many men forward.
At half-time, Bleacher Report UK made it clear they were hardly impressed with the action on offer:
Zenit needed a goal and came out of half-time with more attacking intentions, but they failed to make the most of their set-piece opportunities. Igor Smolnikov nearly pushed the ball past Ederson after a scramble in the box, but the Benfica stopper kept his composure and denied the Russians their goal.
Benfica didn't threaten much early in the second half, but Jonas found himself isolated in front of goal after a strong counter, drawing a save from Lodygin. Fox Sports' Rob Stone noted the match finally started opening up:
Hulk finally broke the deadlock with 21 minutes remaining, heading home after great work from Yuri Zhirkov. The goal meant the match would go to extra time if neither side could strike again.
Victor Nilsson Lindelof came close, but his header was launched straight at Lodygin. Dzyuba also did well to create another chance for himself, but once again Ederson was there to save his team.
The goal eventually fell for Benfica, as Lodygin pushed a long-range shot on to the cross bar and Gaitan was there to head home the rebound. In injury time, Talisca even added a second goal, handing his team the win.
Witsel took to Twitter to thank the fans for their support:
Elsewhere, Adrien Rabiot and Zlatan Ibrahimovic scored on either side of half-time, as PSG beat Chelsea, 2-1. Diego Costa equalised for the Blues in the first half. While the hosts certainly had their chances after the break, PSG's victory and qualification was well-deserved.
Les Parisiens dominated the opening stages of the match with possession and quickly took the lead after Ibrahimovic found Rabiot at the back post with a smart cross.
Per Squawka Football, the young Frenchman had a solid outing in midfield:
Chelsea grew into the match as the first half wore on, and Costa pulled his side level with a clever turn and a low finish past goalkeeper Kevin Trapp.
Trapp had to intervene on a few occasions to deny Chelsea a second goal after half-time, and a single flash from PSG was enough to decide the tie, as Angel Di Maria found Ibrahimovic all alone in front of goal.
The result means Chelsea are unlikely to qualify for next year's Champions League for the first time since Roman Abramovich took over the club, per bet365.
