Paris Saint-Germain defeated Benfica in Wednesday's Champions League matchup.
The game was huge for both teams as they were considered the favorites to compete for the top spot in the group. Both teams entered the game with victories in their opening matches; Paris Saint-Germain took down Olympiacos 4-1 while Benfica defeated Anderlecht 2-0.
Benfica got off to a seemingly more confident start in the encounter, but Paris Saint-Germain scored on its first attack with Zlatan Ibrahimovic providing the finish on the play. After the goal, Paris Saint-Germain took control of the match and held over 70 percent of possession just 20 minutes in. Ibrahimovic continued to look like the most dangerous player on the field and nearly doubled the lead at the 20-minute mark; his shot was scooped up by goalie Arthur. The team eventually got that second goal at the 24-minute mark when Marquinhos tapped in a pass from Blaise Matuidi.
Paris would add the third in 30th minute off a corner kick that was fired home by Ibrahimovic. As the halftime whistle sounded, Benfica was likely relieved to only be down 3-0 as Paris had a number of other chances to inflate the scoreline before the first half expired.
Next up for Paris in the Champions League are two games against Belgian side Anderlecht. Benfica will look to get back into the group by taking on Olympiacos in its next two Champions League bouts. The winner of those matches between the Greek and Portuguese sides could ultimately decide which team heads to the knockout stages and which team wins up in the Europa League next spring.
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