LISBON, March 6 (Xinhua) -- Benfica are back in the UEFA Champions League quarterfinals after six years after the Portuguese team recovered from a 2-3 disadvantage resulted from the first leg match in San Petersburg.
Benfica were trying to exorcize their crisis after four games without winning. The bad phase started with the defeat in Russia, the second defeat of the season, had three defeats and lost the lead in the Portuguese league, coming form a 5-point lead to having three points less than their rivals Porto.
In the first half, Zenith put all their bets on maintaining the advantage the team conquered in the first game. Benfica had more ball control but faced difficulties in the last 25 meters.
The game changed in the first half overtime. After a precise pass by Bruno Cesar that left Witsel in front of the goal, Witsel shot and the goalkeeper Malafaev defended.
On the rebound, Witsel made a back heel pass to Maxi Pereira that scored.
In the second half, Benfica retreated trying second goal in counterattacks. Zenith needed to score the equalizer to stay in the Champions League and replaced midfielders for attackers. But Benfica defended well and Zenith only had three shots on goal.
Two minutes into overtime, in a fast move, Bruno Cesar passed the ball to the rookie Nelson Oliveira, that scored the second goal in his first Champions League match.