Chelsea 2-1 Benfica

Frank Lampard and Raul Meireles scored the goals as Chelsea defeated ten-man Benfica 2-1 at Stamford Bridge.

Lampard scored from the penalty spot in the first half and Meireles sealed the win in stoppage time at the end of the game after Javi Garcia had equalised with five minutes left on the clock for a Benfica side, who had Maxi Pereira red carded just before half time. The 3-1 Champions League quarter-final aggregate win means Chelsea will now progress and face reigning champions and favourites Barcelona in a two-legged semi-final. Benfica did the early pressing without really troubling the Chelsea defence, while the hosts looked to try and catch out their opponents on the counter-attack. It was from one such break up the field that Chelsea got the chance to take the lead on 21 minutes when Ashley Cole's marauding run into the box was halted by Garcia who sent him tumbling to the ground. From the resulting penalty kick Lampard just managed to squeeze his effort under the dive of Benfica goalkeeper Artur who guessed the right way. Benfica responded well and almost equalised after 30 minutes when a well worked free kick resulted in Oscar Cardozo beating Petr Cech inside the area but John Terry was on hand to hack the effort off the line. Benfica's bid to get back into the contest was not helped on 40 minutes when Pereira was shown a second yellow card and subsequent red for a foul on Jon Obi Mikel. Cardozo almost levelled on 48 minutes but his drive from the edge of the area was well saved by Cech who tipped it past the post. Ramires then produced one of the misses of all time on 50 minutes when he somehow managed to divert Salomon Kalou's shot onto the far post when just the slightest of touches forward would have taken the ball over the line. Artur denied Juan Mata on 56 minutes and Fernando Torres' acrobatic follow up went the wrong side of the upright. Mata then hit a low shot across the face of goal, Kalou fired just wide of the upright on 75 minutes before Cech saved with his feet from Nelson Oliveira's shot as Benfica quickly broke up the field. The game was put back into the melting pot on 85 minutes when a combination of poor defending and goalkeeping allowed Garcia to head in Pablo Aimar's corner from close range. But, as Benfica pressed for the second away goal which would have put them through, substitute Meireles broke away and coolly beat Artur with his effort from the edge of the area.