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Estádio do Sport Lisboa e Benfica - Lisbon 07/11/2012 - 20:45CET (19:45 local time)
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Benfica - Spartak Moskva 2-0 - 07/11/2012 - Match page - UEFA Champions League 2013
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Cardozo at the double as Benfica see off Spartak
A beguiling display from half-time substitute Óscar Cardozo gave SL Benfica a UEFA Champions League lifeline as they beat FC Spartak Moskva 2-0 to claim their first Group G win in four attempts.
There was little between the sides before the interval but Cardozo changed all that. He broke the deadlock within ten minutes, doubling the home advantage midway through the second period. His dominance merited a hat-trick, and he could have had one had he not twice rattled the bar, including from the spot after drawing a mistimed tackle from Nicolas Pareja, who was sent off for his troubles.
Match in 5
- Substitute Cardozo scores Benfica's two goals
- Cardozo misses penalty to deny himself a hat-trick
- Pareja dismissed for conceding penalty
- Artur superb, ensures Benfica clean sheet
- Benfica three points adrift of qualification spot
Reaction
We tried to use the ball better after going 2-0 up, but after the red card everything became easier and we could have scored more goals.
Jorge Jesus, Benfica coach
Benfica were superior in every part of the pitch. We came to win but failed to take our chances. They created more and took better use of them.
Unai Emery, Spartak coach
Lineups
 | Benfica |  | Spartak Moskva |
| 1 | Artur (GK) | 32 | Rebrov (GK) 32 |
| 11 | Lima 74 | 2 | Insaurralde |
| 14 | Maxi Pereira (C)82 | 5 | Pareja38 76 |
| 15 | John | 6 | Rafael Carioca |
| 18 | Salvio | 7 | K. Kombarov62 |
| 19 | Rodrigo46 | 9 | Ari |
| 24 | Garay | 19 | Jurado82 |
| 25 | Melgarejo | 21 | Källström71 |
| 33 | Jardel | 23 | D. Kombarov (C) |
| 34 | André Almeida29 | 25 | Bilyaletdinov79 |
| 35 | Peréz | 34 | Makeev33 |
Substitutes | |||
| 13 | Paulo Lopes (GK) | 31 | Dykan (GK) |
| 7 | Óscar Cardozo46 5569 77 | 3 | Bryzgalov |
| 8 | Bruno César74 | 4 | Makhmudov |
| 9 | Nolito | 10 | Dzyuba71 |
| 20 | Gaitán | 17 | Suchý79 |
| 27 | Miguel Vítor | 20 | De Zeeuw |
| 89 | André Gomes82 | 49 | Ananidze62 |
Coaches | |||
| Jorge Jesus (POR) | Unai Emery (ESP) | ||
Referee | |||
| Florian Meyer (GER) | |||
Press kits
Standings
Group G
| P | Pts | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Barcelona | 4 | 9 |
| 2 |  Celtic | 4 | 7 |
| 3 |  Benfica | 4 | 4 |
| 4 |  Spartak Moskva | 4 | 3 |
Legend:
- P: Played
- Pts: Points
Match statistics
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Minute By Minute
- 82André Gomes (in) - Maxi Pereira (out) (Benfica)
- 82Jurado (Spartak Moskva) is shown a yellow card.
José Manuel Jurado goes into the book for a late challenge on Enzo Peréz. - 79Suchý (in) - Bilyaletdinov (out) (Spartak Moskva)
- 77Óscar Cardozo (Benfica) hits the crossbar from the penalty spot.
Óscar Cardozo fails to score his hat-trick as he hits the bar from the resulting penalty. Artem Rebrov got an excellent touch to the ball as the striker went for power over accuracy.
And there goes the final whistle. A commanding performance from Benfica as they finally get their first win in the UEFA Champions League group stage. It was substitute Óscar Cardozo that changed the game, coming on at half time to score both goals. He could have had a hat-trick too, only to miss a penalty.