Benfica lost 1-0 to visitors Chelsea while European football minnows Apoel Nicosia were eventually taken apart 3-0 by Real Madrid in the first leg of the Champions League quarterfinals.

Real coach Jose Mourinho had said ahead of the match that the Spaniards, nine-times winners of Europe's top club competition, would not underestimate the opposition. Indeed, Nicosia proved resistant enough until well into the second half.

The Cypriot champions have been the surprise packages of competition as the first team from their country to reach even the last 16.

But Nicosia found themselves battling to mount a serious challenge to Real, who established an early dominance that saw chances fall, in vain, to Germans Mesut Özil and Sami Khedira.

And there was bad news for the Cypriots as Brazilian center-half Marcelo Oliveira had to leave on a stretcher, having hurt his hamstring in a challenge with Madrid forward Cristiano Ronaldo.

Early Özil effort beaten

Real almost seized the moment on 11 minutes to take the lead as a stinging volley from Özil, from an uncleared cross, was beaten away superbly by Nicosia keeper Dionisos Chiotis.

Mid-way through the first half, Real Madrid had not tested the Nicosia goalkeeper beyond that, despite relentless pressure.

On 28 minutes, however, a relatively quiet Cristiano Ronaldo latched onto a pass into the area to shoot from a difficult angle. Chiotis was up to the task.

Nuri Sahin, on the left for Real, proved impressive with a low cross that Karim Benzema failed to capitalize on in the 33rd minute. The half finished with a corner from Real, taken by Sahin, that the Spaniards could not take advantage of.

And so it went into the second half, with misses from Ronaldo and Benzema punctuating the game.

A Nicosia free kick on 59 minutes was kept away by Real, one of the few times that the Cypriots really troubled the Spaniards. A scramble on 66 minutes typified the match to that point.

Brazilian Kaka made the difference. Brought on as a substitute, he fired in a cross on 74 minutes to Benzema - who placed a diving corner into the bottom corner of the net.

Kaka then doubled the Madrid tally, firing home a back heel from Cristiano Ronaldo. The third came as Özil crossed the ball across the face of goal for Benzema to smash home.

Chelsea get the edge

Across in Lisbon, Benfica were the only Champions League team on the night without a Portuguese player in their starting XI.

Chelsea made a decent start in Lisbon with Spanish striker Fernando Torres delivering some dangerous crosses early on, but both sides were playing a cautious brand of soccer. The match at Benfica's Stadium of Light was an altogether more even affair than that in Nicosia.

Benfica often proved dangerous, finding gaps in the Chelsea defense throughout the first half but, overall, the Londoners must have been happy.

The breakthrough by Chelsea came almost immediately after Real's goal in Cyprus. The goal was created by Torres, but scored by Salomon Kalou who slotted home a cross from the Spain striker. It was the only goal of a tense match.

Author: Richard Connor
Editor: Nancy Isenson