Óscar Cardozo's brilliant subtle finish earned SL Benfica a deserved away victory in the first leg of their round of 32 meeting with Bayer 04 Leverkusen.

The Paraguay striker kept his cool on a frosty night in the Rhineland to secure the advantage going into next week's Lisbon return. Despite enjoying the better of the chances, Benfica still had an impressive performance by No1 Artur to thank for preserving their clean sheet, as Leverkusen fought to keep their UEFA Europa League ambitions intact.