Vangelis Pavlidis scores his fifth goal in three games to give Benfica a 1-0 win away against Monaco in the first leg of the Champions League play-offs.

Benfica have drawn first blood in their Champions League knockout phase playoff tie with Monaco, thanks to Vangelis Pavlidis' strike.

Benfica took a big step towards the Champions League last 16 with a 1-0 victory at 10-man AS Monaco in the first leg of the playoffs on Wednesday.Vangelis Pavlidis scored the only goal early in the second half just before Moatasem al-Musrati was shown a red card after a second booking.

Monaco face an uphill struggle next week in the second leg of their Champions League play-off after going down 1-0 at home to Benfica. Vangelis Pavlidis scored his sixth goal in the competition in the 49th minute at the Stade Louis II on Wednesday night to give the Portuguese outfit the advantage ahead of the return leg at the Estadio da Luz in Lisbon on Tuesday night.