Saul Niguez and Luciano Vietto secured a 2-1 triumph for Atletico Madrid at Benfica, and with it top spot in Champions League Group C.
Atletico Madrid secured top spot in Group C of the Champions League as objectives from Saul Niguez and Luciano Vietto earned a 2-1 win at Benfica on Tuesday.
The hosts just required an attract to beat the standings yet Atletico’s win saw them guarantee their place at the summit to the detriment of the Portuguese side.
Saul commended his arrival to Diego Simeone’s European beginning XI with a first-half strike, while Vietto included a second after the break as Atleti recorded their seventh progressive win in all rivalries, avenging their 2-1 annihilation to Benfica at the Vicente Calderon in September all the while.
Konstantinos Mitroglou fell off the seat to give the home side trust with 15 minutes remaining, yet Atletico hung on.
Benfica could now confront one of Real Madrid, Bayern Munich or Barcelona in the last 16 when the draw is made on Monday.
Atletico, in the mean time, will tackle one of the gathering runners-up and will appreciate home point of preference in the second leg.
Regardless of Benfica realizing that a point would be sufficient to secure top detect, the hosts were cheerful to permit an open and sweeping match, which took quarter of an hour to wake up.
Diego Godin had the ball in the back of the net in the eighteenth moment however the safeguard’s header was discounted for offside, while Atletico tried home goalkeeper Julio Cesar three minutes after the fact, as Saul’s long-extend exertion constrained a decent spare from the Brazilian.
Cesar was in real life again in the 22nd moment, palming without end Gabi’s capable endeavor from the edge of the crate, however the manager could do nothing to keep the guests leads the pack soon after the half-hour mark.
Antoine Griezmann’s clean throughball chose the keep running of Vietto, who unselfishly focused for Saul to sidefoot home his third objective of the season from 12 yards.
It took Benfica 38 minutes to marshal a shot on objective, with Goncalo Guedes dragging wide from 18 yards, however the hosts turned out with goal after half-time.
Atletico soon recovered their stranglehold on the amusement, on the other hand, and Vietto multiplied their leverage in the 55th moment.
Yannick Ferreira Carrasco stole a yard on his marker down the left and crossed low to the close post, where Vietto pushed past Cesar for his first Champions League objective.
Pretty much as their shots of completing over their visitors seemed, by all accounts, to be lessening, on the other hand, Mitroglou gave Benfica new trust. The Greek turned Godin in the crate and beat Jan Oblak, with the ball discovering the net off within the post.
Benfica pushed hard for an equalizer in the last 10 minutes, with Eliseu seeing a low shot spared by Oblak, however Atletico held out to end the night top of the gathering.