Saul chases and harries Julio Cesar inside the penalty area from an Atleti corner and hands Benfica a huge reprieve as we approach the final whistle. That could be it for the visitors.
90' +1
Atleti surge forward in numbers as Gabi swings in a lovely low cross down the corridor of uncertainty and forces Almeida to clear behind for a late corner to the hosts.
89'
Atleti need a goal but it's Benfica who are further up the other end as Pizzi wastes a corner kick too close to Oblak between the sticks. Four additional minutes are being added on now.
87'
Saul gets too tight to Pizzi and hands Benfica a late free-kick as time continues to run out for Atleti. Almeida plays the ball backwards as they try to run down the clock.
85'
Atleti are trying to force the play too much and that's playing right into the hands of Benfica. The hosts have been really underwhelming after the interval, as much as the visitors deserve credit.
83'
After tasting defeat to bitter rivals Porto two games ago, this has been a brilliant performance from Benfica in the second half. They've showed so much heart and fight to thwart Atleti in their tracks.
82'
Jardel gets yellow.
Jardel picks up a yellow card in the closing stages of this second half for a foul on Torres. The Atleti man draws out the foul cleverly and the Benfica man obliges.
81'
Torres receives the ball in a good bit of space just outside the penalty area and wins his side a free-kick as he goades Jardel into making a challenge on him.
80'
Pizzi enters the game and replaces Jonas.
Vitoria makes his final change for Benfica and the last of the match as Jonas heads off the pitch here in Spain. Former Atleti man Pizzi comes on as his replacement.
79'
Torres gets played in deep into Benfica's half but he brings out a good save again from Julio Cesar as the chance breaks down. Atleti have huffed and puffed this half but they have been a shadow of the side that started this match so brightly.
Minute
Description
77'
Fernando Torres enters the game and replaces Á. Correa.
Atleti are in control of the ball but Benfica are sitting deep in a compact shape and really don't look like conceding in these late stages. Torres' movement might cause their backline a different headache, though.
It's the last roll of the dice from Atleti boss Simeone as goalscorer Correa heads off late on. Torres runs on as his replacement to add more firepower to the hosts' cause.
75'
Guedes struggles to keep the ball in play and it flicks up off him for an Atleti goal-kick. There's a few tired legs out there now as Fernando Torres looks set to come on now for the hosts.
73'
L. Fejsa enters the game and replaces A. Samaris.
Filipe Luis finds himself high up the pitch as Atleti push more numbers forward in hope of a late equaliser, but the left-back misses the target with an effort towards goal.
Benfica boss Vitoria makes his second change of the match in a matter of minutes as Samaris heads off the pitch rather slowly. Fejsa comes on in a like-for-like switch as time ticks on.
72'
K. Mitroglou enters the game and replaces R. Jiménez.
Jimenez heads off the pitch to a warm reception from both sets of supporters due to his affiliation to each club. Mitroglou, who scored last time out against Astana, heads on as his replacement.
71'
L. Vietto enters the game and replaces A. Griezmann.
Both sides are making changes now as we approach the latter stages of this Group C tie. Atleti are having the lion's share of the ball but Benfica are defending well and showing huge grit and determination as they try to see this result out.
It's a surprising one as Griezmann trudges off to the touchline to be replaced by Vietto late on. The Frenchman was excellent in the first half but his influence faded after the break.
69'
Martinez drops deep working hard for his team but fouls Jonas as he tries to put pressure on the Benfica man. Mitroglou gets stripped on the touchline for the visitors and looks set to come on in the coming minutes.
67'
CLOSE! Griezmann whips in a cracking corner with fizz towards the six-yard box and Godin rises highest but he glances his header wide of Julio Cesar and out for a Benfica goal-kick.
65'
Gabi again brings his side forward with good running and he curls a good pass up towards Martinez but Luisao stands firm at the back and clears away the danger for Benfica.
63'
Saúl enters the game and replaces Óliver Torres.
It looks as though Atleti are about to make their first change of the game as Saul continues to warm up down the touchline. Jimenez gets penalised for a foul on Godin.
The first change of the game comes about as Oliver heads off the pitch just after the hour mark here at the Vicente Calderon. Saul runs on as his replacement.
61'
Gabi surges forward through the centre of the pitch and feeds in Correa, who glides into the box and sends a left-footed effort towards goal, which Julio Cesar gobbles up well at his near post.
59'
Filipe Luis keeps in play Correa's lofted pass and crosses for Martinez lurking at the back stick, but Luisao does enough as he matches the Atleti man's leap and puts him off. The hosts are continuing to knock on the door.
57'
UNBELIEVABLE GOALKEEPING! Tiago's deflected shot off Martinez forces a great save from Julio Cesar to his left, before he shoots straight back up and stops Correa with the rebound. Magnificent goalkeeping from the former Inter Milan man.
55'
Óliver Torres gets yellow.
So not only have Atleti's hopes of keeping a record eight consecutive clean sheets at home in the Champions League been ruined tonight, but their imperious home record is also in doubt now as Benfica continue to look comfortable thanks to their slender lead.
Oliver tracks back for his side and brings down Semedo for a Benfica free-kick. The referee doesn't stop there as he hands the Atleti man a yellow card, too.
53'
Griezmann surges forward on the breakaway and tries to draw the hosts level but his effort flies well away from the target. You feel Atleti need to give him the ball more often if they're to come away with a positive result tonight.
51'
Gonçalo Guedes has scored a goal for Benfica! Assist by N. Gaitán.
GOOOOOOOAAAAALLLL!! It's 2-1 to Benfica! Gaitan marauds forward past Godin and sends in a lovely cross with his weaker right foot which Guedes collects, and sends past Oblak from the tightest of angles. What a sublime finish!
49'
Jimenez is now up and moving again after hitting the deck under a challenge from his own goalkeeper, Julio Cesar. Gimenez's foul inside the Benfica penalty area sees the visitors awarded a free-kick.
48'
A slight suspension in play occurs as Jimenez fails to move off the floor after an Atleti corner. The replay shows that Gimenez pushes the Benfica forward into Julio Cesar, which hands the visitors a free-kick but the Mexico international looks in some pain right now.
46'
Welcome back! Benfica get us back underway for the second half here at the Vicente Calderon, with neither side making a personnel change to their starting lineups during the break.
44'
Correa collects from the spillage of Guedes' challenge on Luis and hooks a good ball into the box towards Martinez, who throws a foot to it but his effort goes over the crossbar for a Benfica goal-kick. It's just not happening for the Colombian at the moment.
42'
Jimenez chases Gabi all the way and eventually concedes a free-kick for a soft challenge on the Atleti captain. The game is starting to come to the boil now and there is plenty of spice on the pitch at the moment.
40'
A. Samaris gets yellow.
J. Martínez gets yellow.
It's all handbags inside the Vicente Calderon at the moment as Eliseu falls to the floor under a challenge from Martinez. The replay shows that the Benfica man hits the deck under the slightest of touches from the Atleti forward but it sparks a mass argument between the two sides.
Samaris becomes the third Benfica man to go into the referee's book as he reacts angrily to Atleti's protests to see Eliseu booked for going down easily under pressure from Martinez.
Martinez receives a caution from the referee and it appears the Colombian forward is rather hard done-by. Eliseu falls down under the slightest of touches from the Atleti striker and that sees him go into the referee's book.
38'
Gaitan fires home a well-taken equaliser for Benfica to send the away stand in rapture, in what was the Portuguese outfit's best chance of the game by a country mile. Atleti need to respond now.
36'
N. Gaitán has scored a goal for Benfica!
GOOOOOOOOAAAAAALLLL!! It's 1-1 out of nothing for Benfica! Godin clears Semedo's cross towards the back post which Gaitan collects unmarked and hits into the ground past Oblak for his second goal of the competition. Game on in the Spanish capital!
35'
Semedo tries to make another trademark powerful run forward but Martinez displays excellent work ethic as he follows him all the way but brings him down illegally for a Benfica free-kick.
33'
Eliseu wins a free-kick under a challenge from Correa and Gaitan sends in a lofted set play towards Jardel at the back stick, but it's too easy to defend against as Oblak comes off his line and gobbles up the ball.
31'
After Atleti had a number of chances to double their lead after Correa opened the scoring, it seems that Benfica have stopped their momentum slightly in the last few minutes but the hosts are still in possession right now.
29'
SO CLOSE! Griezmann leaves Luisao for dead with a wicked curling pass to Martinez, who fails to stick the ball past Julio Cesar again from close range. From the rebound, Oliver rushes to the ball but sends his effort well wide of the target.
28'
Luisão gets yellow.
Griezmann continues to shine at the Vicente Calderon and Luisao closes him down to try and stop him from influencing the game once more. The referee dishes out a caution as a result of his mistimed tackle.
27'
Oliver plays a magnificent lofted pass from right to left to an onrushing Filipe Luis but as the left-back checks his run inside, Guedes nicks the ball away from him and snuffs out the danger for Benfica. It's vital that the visitors stay solid and don't go out of sight in the first half.
25'
Eliseu gets yellow.
IT SHOULD BE 2-0! Griezmann sees his effort towards goal blocked by Jardel but the attack stays alive through Oliver Torres, who curls in a peach of a cross towards Martinez who heads past the post from point-blank range.
Eliseu becomes the first man to get his name taken by the referee tonight. Benfica have been rocked by Atleti's goal after making a good start to the game but they need to cut out the sloppy errors they're currently making.
23'
Á. Correa has scored a goal for Atletico Madrid! Assist by A. Griezmann.
GOOOOOOOOOOAAAAALLLL!! It's 1-0 to Atleti! Griezmann shows his magic as he plays a cute, first-time pass from Juanfran's cross into the path of Correa, who can't miss from close range as he fires past Julio Cesar to put the hosts in front.
21'
ALMOST! Gabi plays in a delightful curling cross towards Martinez, who ghosts beyond Luisao but he chooses not to control the ball inside the box and instead clips a shot over the crossbar from close range.
20'
Semedo makes another bright run forward from right-back for the visitors but as he sets up a neat one-two with Guedes, the latter sends the ball back with too much power and allows Oblak to collect with ease.
18'
Filipe Luis collects the ball from Tiago after the Atleti midfielder made a solid run forward but the former Chelsea full-back sees his attempts to hit Martinez with a cross blocked by good tracking back by Jonas.
16'
Jimenez latches onto a long ball forward and rather than test Godin with a run forward, he tries a very ambitious shot from distance which flies well over the crossbar and out for an Atleti goal-kick.
15'
OFF THE LINE! Guedes drifts out onto the left flank and skips past an onrushing Oblak but Filipe Luis covers for his goalkeeper by dropping onto the line as he clears the Benfica man's chipped effort away from goal.
13'
GREAT BLOCK! Juanfran marauds down the right-hand side and powers in a low cross towards Correa, who attempts to sting the palms of Julio Cesar from point-blank range but Jardel makes another superb block.
11'
Gabi picks up the ball deep into his own half and as he tries to play it back to one of his team-mates, the referee penalises Samaris for getting too close to the Atleti captain. Benfica are matching the Spanish side with top-drawer pressing and energy so far.
9'
NO PENALTY! Gabi curls in a lovely corner towards Tiago and the ex-Chelsea man strikes it first time towards goal, but the ball diverts behind off Almeida. Appeals for a spot-kick sound around the Vicente Calderon but the referee waves away the protests.
7'
Julio Cesar, with little options in front of him due to Atleti's excellent pressing, plays the ball out wide towards Semedo but overcooks the pass and sees the ball trickle out for a goal-kick. The hosts are so good without possession.
5'
CLOSE! Jonas receives the ball from Semedo and shows phenomenal footwork as he skips past several Benfica players, but he sends his shot just past Oblak between the Atleti sticks. What a run that was from the former Valencia man.
3'
Griezmann collects the ball between the Benfica midfield lines and plays in Filipe Luis but as the Brazilian chucks in a decent cross towards Martinez at the near post, Jardel clears for the Portuguese outfit.
1'
Atleti get us underway here inside the Vicente Calderon on matchday two in Group C. The man in charge of the cards for tonight's encounter is Gianluca Rocchi from Italy.
Good evening and welcome to our LIVE text commentary of tonight's UEFA Champions League clash between Atletico Madrid and Benfica from the Vicente Calderon. I'm Matthew Judge and I will be your host for the match, which kicks off at 7:45pm.
It's the first ever meeting between Atleti and Benfica tonight as both sides look to build on their opening wins in Group C from the first round of fixtures earlier this month. Last time out, Madrid were victorious against Galatasaray while Benfica overcame Kazakh debutants Astana on home soil.
TEAM NEWS: Simeone has made two changes to the Atleti side which started their 1-0 loss to Villarreal last weekend. Juanfran and Angel Correa both come into the first eleven tonight in place of Jesus Gamez and Saul Niguez respectively.
TEAM NEWS: Rui Vitoria has made just one alteration to the Benfica team which started their 3-0 win over Pacos de Ferreira in their last outing. Raul Jimenez starts up top against his former paymasters tonight in place of Kostas Mitroglou, who drops to the bench.
Atleti are coming into tonight's match looking to bounce back from their loss to Villarreal last weekend, with Diego Simeone's men on the brink of history. They haven't conceded a goal in their last seven Champions League home matches and nobody has ever built an eight-game run as of yet. Benfica are looking to spoil the party, though, and are in good spirits after beating Pacos de Ferreira 3-0 in their last outing.
ATLETICO MADRID substitutes: Moya, Siqueira, Savic, Saul, Torres, Ferreira-Carrasco, Vietto.
Both sets of players are stripped and raring to go as they leave the tunnel and enter onto the field here at the Vicente Calderon. We are just moments away from seeing the action start.
ATLETICO MADRID (4-4-2): Oblak; Juanfran, Gimenez, Godin, Filipe Luis; Oliver, Gabi (c), Tiago, Correa; Griezmann, Martinez.
HALF-TIME: ATLETICO MADRID 1-1 BENFICA
It's honours even here at the Vicente Calderon as both sets of players trudge off the pitch for the half-time interval. Gaitan bagged his second goal of the competition to cancel out Correa's opener for Atleti, who were the better of the two in the first half.
The hosts could have been out of sight in the first half, in truth, but Martinez has passed up several opportunities to double his side's lead in this Group C affair. Benfica have worked hard and their first real chance of the game was converted, so they will have no serious complaints during the break.
FULL-TIME: ATLETICO MADRID 1-2 BENFICA
Benfica beat Spanish opposition for the first time in 16 attempts as Guedes strikes in the second half to ensure the Portuguese outfit sit top of Group C tonight. Atleti took the lead through Correa but Gaitan provides a goal and an assist apiece to turn the game on its head.
The hosts were underwhelming in the second half but huge credit must go to Benfica, who have made it back-to-back wins in Group C as they move ever closer to qualification to the knockout stages.
Next up for Benfica is an away tie against Galatasaray on October 21, while Atleti face the Madrid derby with Real in between their next Champions League fixture against Astana on home soil.
That's all from me, Matthew Judge, and it has been a great pleasure talking you through all of tonight's action. We hope you can join us again very soon. Take care!
Commentary
More…