benfica 1-0

Independent:
Display of old gives advantage to Chelsea

Benfica 0 Chelsea 1
SAM WALLACE ESTADIO DA LUZ

It is only five weeks since a disorganised, mutinous Chelsea team without Frank Lampard Didier Drogba and Michael Essien in the first XI went down 3-1 in Naples and the clock began ticking on Andre Villas-Boas' doomed regime. Last night Roberto Di Matteo left the same three players out of his team and Chelsea emerged with the kind of win that evoked the best moments of Jose Mourinho's era.
That is to say that even without those three – and only Lampard played any role as a substitute –Di Matteo's team looked well-organised and patient and when their opportunity came on the counter-attack, Salomon Kalou scored the goal that puts them on the brink of the Champions League semi-finals.
In the tradition of the best Chelsea teams of the last 10 years, they defended with an obstinacy that can break the hearts of attackers — take a bow John Terry, David Luiz and, would you believe it, Paulo Ferreira. This was the Portuguese full-back's first start of the year but he played his part in a Chelsea team that felt balanced, fresh and able to handle the very best that Benfica threw at them.
Which was, in truth, not saying much. The Portuguese team were a major disappointment. It should not be forgotten that Benfica were previously unbeaten in 10 straight games in Europe and had only lost once at home this season before last night. The team that qualified from Manchester United's group found Chelsea impossible to break down
What differentiated last night's performance from the Villas-Boas team's car-crash team in Naples? It started in defence where Terry, injured for the game in Italy, and Luiz created the platform for the win and also in Petr Cech who made one crucial save from Jardel on 67 minutes.
While Villas-Boas' selections became increasingly fraught, and more players found themselves out in the cold, Di Matteo has made a virtue of bringing those peripheral figures back in to the team. This was Kalou's first start in the Champions League this season. Fernando Torres, picked ahead of Drogba last night, rewarded his manager with an industrious performance.
Di Matteo will need that squad as the games pile up. If they do not beat Aston Villa on Saturday then the prospect of Champions League football next season will become even more distant. Then there is that FA Cup semi-final with Tottenham looming two weeks on Sunday. Di Matteo will want to remain competitive in both cup competitions but his focus has to be ensuring Champions League qualification for next season.
Benfica's manager Jorge Jesus complained that this was "not a just result" but before they scored Chelsea had two chances in the second half, for Kalou and Juan Mata that might have decided the game. Only two teams in the history of the Champions League have lost the first leg of a knockout tie at home and gone on to progress to the next round. On last night's evidence, Benfica will not be the third come a week today at Stamford Bridge.
While Di Matteo refused to take anything for granted last night, all roads appear to lead to Barcelona, who face Milan tonight, in the semi-finals. Eliminating them is a whole different prospect but as the last English team standing, Chelsea have rediscovered some of that form that once made them such a force in this competition.
It was their first away win in the Champions League since they beat Copenhagen in Denmark in the first knock-out round last season. In terms of significance it bore more resemblance to the comeback to win 2-1 against Valencia in 2007. Benfica did all the huffing and puffing but it was Chelsea who looked the more assured.
Aside from the sending off for Christophe Lollichon, Chelsea's excitable French goalkeeping coach this was a smooth performance. Even Jesus was forced to concede that the introduction of Lampard with 20 minutes remaining stretched the game further. The likes of Nicolas Gaitan and Axel Witsel, whose reputations have grown in recent years, did not really create a great deal for Oscar Cardozo, the big Paraguayan striker.
Ramires, returning to his former club, gave Emerson problems down Benfica's left and if the Chelsea man could pass the ball in the final third he would be a serious threat. John Obi Mikel and Raul Meireles are not an inspirational midfield pairing but they were solid. Meireles' crisp shot, saved by Artur, was Chelsea's best moment before half-time.
With the pressure on them and a restlessness about the stadium, up to a third empty, Benfica pushed in the second half. Luiz kicked an effort from Cardozo off the line two minutes after the break. Pablo Aimar had a shot saved. Yet in the first 15 minutes of the second half, Chelsea had the better chances to score.
The first came from Torres' cross on 52 minutes when Kalou could not control his header on goal. Then just on the hour Cech's long kick down the middle was touched on by Torres and Mata steered the ball around Artur. The angle was tight and while he got his foot around the ball it hit the outside of the post.
In those two moments, Chelsea sensed the opportunity to turn this tie decisively to their advantage. Benfica looked vulnerable. On 67 minutes, Chelsea survived their closest scare when Jardel's header from Gaitan's cross was brilliantly stopped by Cech. But when at last Di Matteo's team took the lead on the counter-attack it did not come as much of a surprise.
Torres, who had been making inroads all game, accelerated away from Jardel, stayed on his feet despite a barge, and delayed until Kalou was in position. From the right, Torres picked him out beautifully and Kalou stabbed the ball home from close range. Much of the stadium fell quiet.
Ashley Cole lunged in for a late clearance but Chelsea never looked too rattled. On nights like these they look like an established member of the European elite but they only need to look at the Premier League table to know that those days might not last forever.

Man of the match Luiz.
Match rating 6/10.
Referee P Tagliavento (It).
Attendance 65,000.

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Guardian:

Salomon Kalou's goal gives Chelsea Champions League win at Benfica
Daniel Taylor at Estádio da Luz

These are the moments when Chelsea make it seem barely plausible that for long spells this season they appear to have based their entire working operation on the theory of chaos. They played here with character, resolve and togetherness and now have an outstanding chance of reaching the semi-finals of the competition Roman Abramovich craves the most.It was the kind of night that made their last Champions League excursion, in the bearpit of Napoli's Stadio San Paolo, feel like a trick of the mind.Here, like then, we had the story of a manager leaving out key names, not afraid to prick a few egos if it meant following his convictions. The difference this time was that there was structure, resilience and not a hint of panic. Napoli had overwhelmed André Villas-Boas side's but Chelsea have already come a long way since Roberto Di Matteo became the latest man to answer to Abramovich.It culminated in Salomon Kalou turning in a 75th-minute winner after Fernando Torres had manoeuvred space for himself on the right and picked out his team-mate's run into the six-yard area with a perfectly weighted cross.Benfica had lost only once on their own ground this season but looked ordinary for the most part and Chelsea's belief was embellished as the game reached its closing stages. Had Juan Mata shown a more assured touch when the substitute Daniel Sturridge found him in space they could conceivably have taken a two-goal lead back to Stamford Bridge for the second leg next Wednesday.Benfica had helped to eliminate Manchester United from the group stages but on this occasion they rarely got behind the visitors' defence. John Terry, whose absence was so crucial in Naples, was exemplary. David Luiz had one of his better nights, applauded on and off the pitch by the supporters of his former club, and Petr Cech made a number of telling saves.Yet the pressure was sporadic rather than sustained. Towards the end the Italian referee sent Chelsea's goalkeeping coach, Christophe Lollichon, to the stands, but the truth is it was out of keeping with the way the night had gone. Perhaps the most impressive part of Chelsea's performance was the calm they exuded, the sense of assurance and seen-it-all-before knowhow.Di Matteo's selection was certainly brave and, if they are being truly honest, many Chelsea supporters might also have found it slightly alarming. Frank Lampard, Didier Drogba and Michael Essien had all looked laboured against Spurs on Saturday but it was still a surprise to see them all consigned to the bench, given their big-game experience and how instrumental they had been in retrieving the 3-1 first-leg deficit to Napoli in the last round.Here, too, was the return of Paulo Ferreira at right-back, playing his first match in almost three months because of the thigh injury that is keeping out Branislav Ivanovic. Ferreira has started only three matches all season and the last one was the 3-1 home defeat by Aston Villa on New Year's Eve. This, however, was a successful return as he quickly set about disproving the theory he could be the weak point in Chelsea's defence.Ferreira slipped back into the team seamlessly, fully justified his selection ahead of José Bosingwa and was part of the reason Chelsea were relatively comfortable.Rather than go straight at Chelsea, as Napoli had so devastatingly, Benfica played a more cagey game, making fewer chances. Their best moments in the first half both fell to Oscar Cardozo, first with a left-foot volley that he could not direct on target and then a header that went over. Cardozo did hit the target early in the second half only for David Luiz to clear off the goal-line and Benfica will also reflect on the moment, shortly before Kalou's winner, when Cech kept out Jardel's header.The Portuguese side had plenty of the ball in telling areas but they seldom made use of it. Chelsea sat back for long periods and, at times, could have taken better care of the ball but, when they did attack, they generally found holes in the home defence. At one point it was something as mundane as a long goal-kick that went straight through the Benfica back four and suddenly Mata was clear, flicking the ball round the goalkeeper, Artur, but taking himself to such an angle that his shot struck the outside of the post.This was the prelude to Chelsea's best spell of the match and, after they had taken the lead, it was seldom threatened during the final exchanges. Torres had worked hard while still managing to look frustrated and lacking the old sureness of touch. This was the moment, however, he justified his place ahead of Drogba, bursting clear and then picking out Kalou with a deft cross. Kalou had set off with great intent and was still running when he applied the finishing touch.


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Telegraph:

Benfica 0 Chelsea 1
By Henry Winter, at Estádio da Luz

This was a particularly good day for Roberto Di Matteo, the interim head coach who keeps steering Chelsea onward in cup competitions as headlines keep linking more vaunted names to the manager’s job. Whatever happens to Di Matteo this summer, he will always have Lisbon.
His players responded to the Italian’s game-plan, delivering a classic away performance, tactically disciplined, defensively resilient and scoring with a swift counter-attack. Chelsea got what they came for: an away goal and a clean sheet. Difficult mission, adroitly accomplished.
Di Matteo had called on his players to stay calm, to not risk losing possession. Even when Pablo Aimar, the deft Argentine string-puller, tried to whip up a storm, Chelsea refused to be cowed. Even when Nicolas Gaitan began running at them, Chelsea refused to park the bus, simply taking the sting out of the game with bouts of keep-ball but also sliding forward, looking for openings, keeping Benfica on their toes, triggering more songs up in the Gods.
Good managers influence a game’s flow and Di Matteo also got his substitutions right, in timing and selections, disrupting Benfica’s attempts to regain momentum. While some around him were losing their heads, including the goalkeeping coach Christophe Lollichon who was sent off, Di Matteo retained composure, exuding a quiet control his players matched.
Before kick-off, Di Matteo’s team-sheet had raised questions but 90 minutes later he had received emphatic vindication of his decisions.
Fernando Torres led the line diligently, bringing a pace absent when Didier Drogba starts, not least when racing down the right after 75 minutes to create Kalou’s strike. Kalou’s presence ahead of Daniel Sturridge had been a surprise but he timed his arrival well for the goal.
In midfield, Raul Meireles, offered little that Frank Lampard could not have contributed; he was also booked early and mercilessly booed for his Porto connections. There were even unconfirmed reports that Meireles signalled his disapproval back. Benfica supporters showed a more sporting streak by staying on to applaud off Ramires and David Luiz, two of their former players.
Chelsea fans were certainly saluting Luiz, who excelled alongside that habitual figure of defiance, John Terry. With Branislav Ivanovic still struggling with a thigh problem, Paulo Ferreira slotted in at right-back, rolling back the years with an assured display.
Ashley Cole, giving a masterclass in the art of being in the right place at the right time, made some important clearances. Behind them, Petr Cech proved the rock of ages on which Benfica also foundered.
By the final whistle, as reverie extended to thoughts of meeting Barcelona or AC Milan in the semi-finals, Chelsea’s jubilant fans were serenading the departing locals with “cheerio” after a rendition of “it’s so quiet in Lisbon”. Victory tasted particularly sweet as the Shed on tour had been crammed into one section, the stewards refusing to let them move into four empty rows, causing brief tension.
They had to survive some nervous moments watching their team down below but it soon became clear that Benfica were lacklustre in front of goal, all build-up and no finish. The club’s famous eagle, swooping all over the stadium before kick-off, threatened the goals more.
Chelsea were hardly troubled in the first half. Oscar Cardozo operated as the forward staging post for Benfica excursions, bringing Aimar and Alex Witsel into play and also beating Luiz in the air although his header failed to trouble Cech.
Bruno Cesar drilled the ball over from the left, Cardozo chested down but hooked just wide. Cech then held a long-ranger from Cesar.
Chelsea weathered the squall, frustrating Benfica by stroking the ball around in the deep areas, adding to their 52 per cent first-half possession, before suddenly springing forward.
Torres, playing a 1-2 with Ramires, cleverly worked an opening but shot over. With six minutes remaining before the break, Kalou rolled the ball inside to Meireles, who drew a good save from Artur.
The first half lacked true edge, a feeling highlighted when Ferreira and Luiz engaged Cardozo and Jardel in small talk as they strolled to the tunnel. Benfica emerged a different team, far more energised. Cardozo’s shot was cleared off the line by Luiz.
Chelsea then sprung forward, Torres lifting in a cross that Kalou wasted with the goal at his mercy. Benfica just went down the far end, Cardozo trying his luck.
Aimar was always available, always looking to insinuate his way past blue shirts. Gaitan was now a threat on the left. Benfica were launching more and more attacks, including a paper dart from a fan which almost reached the centre-circle.
Chelsea stood firm. Cole made a great block from the rampaging Maxi Pereira, who screamed vainfully for a penalty when the follow-up struck Terry.
As some Benfica players were still remonstrating with the officials, Juan Mata so nearly scored, rounding Artur but the angle was always awkward and he did well to hit even the post.
Still Benfica pressed hard, looking for something to take to Stamford Bridge next week. Chelsea defended resolutely, delighting their fans.
Torres hurried back to make an important headed clearance. Then Cech did brilliantly to deny Jardel. As the Benfica fans in one corner continued to keep up the chants and the drumming, other parts of the stadium fell silent or sighed with frustration.
Then Chelsea, gloriously, broke upfield, Ramires beginning the charge. Torres took the ball on, eluding Jardel, hurtling towards the line before crossing perfectly for Kalou. Chelsea’s funny old season, of Premier League pain and Champions League joy, continues.

Match details
Benfica: Artur Moraes, Maxi Pereira, Luisao, Jardel, Emerson, Aimar (Matic 69), Javi Garcia (Nolito 81), Bruno Cesar (Rodrigo Moreno 69), Witsel, Gaitan, Cardozo. Subs: Eduardo, Nelson Oliveira, Miguel Vitor, Saviola. Booked: Bruno Cesar, Luisao, Javi Garcia.
Chelsea: Cech, Ferreira (Bosingwa 80), Luiz, Terry, Cole, Ramires, Meireles (Lampard 68), Mata, Mikel, Kalou (Sturridge 82), Torres. Subs: Turnbull, Essien, Drogba, Cahill.Booked: Meireles. Goal: Kalou 75.
Att: 65,000
Referee: P Tagliavento (Italy).

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Mirror:

Benfica 0-1 Chelsea: Kalou banishes Portuguese Blues
By Martin Lipton

Job done, superbly well.
Barcelona, you would think, in their path again, as long as there is no horror-show at the Bridge next week.
And even if it seems unlikely, crazy, to think that this year, against the odds, will be the one that Chelsea finally do what Roman Abramovich craves above all, you cannot write them off.
Last night Roberto Di Matteo's judgement in leaving out Frank Lampard and Didier Drogba ensured the interim manager was putting himself on the line.
After all, when Andre Villas-Boas omitted Lampard and Ashley Cole at Napoli, he did not hang around for the second leg.
But where Villas-Boas' Chelsea had been a shapeless, hopeless mess in Naples, last night they were utterly professional.
True, it helped that Benfica were never as impressive as the two Eagles that flew round the Stadium of Light before kick-off were.
Workmanlike at best, they lacked real invention, making it harder to understand how they held Manchester United to two draws in the group stage.
Yet that was not Chelsea's fault, merely their opportunity.
And while it was not, by any means, a flawless performance, it was more than good enough to conquer the Portuguese side.
In the end, one moment, one move, proved pivotal.
Salomon Kalou might have been flying back to London ruing the header he conspired to nod horribly over the bar when he was found, unmarked, eight yards out, by Fernando Torres at the start of the second half.
After all, the Ivorian would not win too many popularity polls among the Chelsea fans, frequently viewed as their Aunt Sally of choice.
Yet 15 minutes from time, when the next chance came, Kalou did not flunk the test.
Ramires did the donkey work, taking a kick for his pains after releasing Torres, whose own work-rate was immense on both sides of the pitch.
The space was there down the Benfica left flank and Torres took it, haring into the box, waiting for the right moment and slipping across for Kalou to slid in and prod home.
It was a goal that was made possible by all the hard work beforehand, the defensive resolve epitomised by David Luiz, John Terry - only discomforted when ordered to put on his captain's armband - surprise right-back choice Paulo Ferreira and Petr Cech.
Indeed, even without Lampard, Drogba and Michael Essien on the pitch, it felt like "old Chelsea", the team that never gave up, backed themselves to come through any scrape.
Last night was not much of a scrape, despite some nervy moments.
When required, though, Luiz - who has concentrated on doing the basics - and Terry made the important interventions. A foot in here, a leg there, a head when needed.
That was demonstrated just after the restart, when Luiz was in the right place to block Oscar Cardozo's fierce left-footer on the line.
But even before that, while Benfica had plenty of the ball and looked to Cardozo, Pablo Aimar, Axel Witsel and the disappointing Nicolas Gaitan to unlock the Chelsea defence, they rarely seemed capable of doing so.
Indeed, it was Chelsea who went closest before the break, Torres with two efforts - including a spectacular chest control and instant volley - and Raul Meireles, preferred to Lampard, forcing a diving save by Artur.
Cech, on the other hand, was rarely tested, even at the height of Benfica's storm, although he did make a fine and vital save to foil Jardel's far post header.
And the more Benfica pushed on - including desperate appeals for a penalty against Terry - the more open they were to the counters.
Kalou's poor header was followed when Juan Mata took advantage of hesitant defending after Cech pumped forward, rounded Artur but pushed himself too wide and could only hit the outside of the post from an acute angle.
In all probability, Di Matteo and his men would have settled for the goalless draw and the slight advantage.
Kalou's secure touch, his second Champions League goal of the season, to give the Blues their first away win in Europe for 13 months, loaded the odds even more heavily in their favour.
Only two teams in Champions League history have turned a tie round having lost the home leg and Benfica do not look like joining Ajax and Bayern Munich in that list.
Mata might even have had a second at the death. Chelsea, though, were more than satisfied.


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Mail:

Benfica 0 Chelsea 1: Advantage Chelsea as Kalou strikes on perfect night for Di Matteo
By MATT LAWTON

Perhaps Frank Lampard should reassess the qualities of this Chelsea side. They might well lack the consistency that enabled them to win three English titles but they remain a team capable of rising to the occasion on the continent.
This was some victory here in the Estadio da Luz, the product not only of a brilliantly executed 75th-minute goal from Salomon Kalou but also some serious graft typified by the irrepressible Ramires and the tenacious Fernando Torres.
It was no accident that they both played their part in securing the advantage Chelsea now take to Stamford Bridge next week for the second leg of this Champions League quarter-final.
It was Ramires, a constant threat down the right flank with his relentless running, who made the initial ground, and Torres who timed his ball into Kalou to perfection with the kind of skill and composure on which he built a reputation.
Roberto Di Matteo’s reputation has certainly been enhanced, the decision to omit certain senior players paying off when much the same approach had proved so costly for Andre Villas-Boas in Naples in the previous round.
What happened against Napoli actually made the team selection of the interim manager all the more courageous.
Torres ahead of Didier Drogba, Raul Meireles ahead of Lampard, David Luiz ahead of Gary Cahill; even John Mikel Obi ahead of Essien. All big calls, all of which enabled Chelsea to record their first away win in Europe in 13 months.
Like Ramires, Luiz was outstanding against his former club. He was in the right place at the right time to deny Oscar Cardozo in the 47th minute with a terrific goal-line clearance, coolly using his chest to avert the danger.
But he was also superb in a formidable partnership with John Terry. With their defensive colleagues, they left Benfica hugely frustrated, with Paulo Ferreira also deserving praise for his display at right back given that this was his first appearance in 2012.
The strategy Di Matteo employed was an intelligent one even if the omission of Lampard looked like the kind of gamble he did not need to take.
There was a real Iberian flavour to the Chelsea team, one that would be well-equipped for the challenge Benfica would pose.
But if Di Matteo also wanted to see his side ‘run and tackle’, as he put it afterwards, for 90 minutes, then that must have influenced his thinking too.
Lampard and Drogba have looked tired of late, and in the end the decision to put them on the bench proved a good one. Benfica will have to concede that, while they had more efforts on goal, Chelsea enjoyed the better of the chances.
Yes, Cardozo would have scored had it not been for Luiz. Yes, it took a quite brilliant save from Petr Cech to deny Jardel, the defender meeting a superb cross from Nicolas Gaitan with a thumping header.
But Juan Mata sent an effort against a post after bursting clear in pursuit of a long ball forward from Cech and Kalou really should have capitalised on another perfect delivery from Torres. Much to Di Matteo’s disappointment, he instead sent his header over the crossbar.
There was also a shot from Meireles that brought the best out of Artur during a largely uneventful first half. If the sight of the Benfica eagle circling the stadium was dramatic, the football that followed was not.
It was cagey, cautious, with both sides afraid to make the kind of mistake that might prove costly. There was a chance for Cardozo thanks to a nicely weighted chip forward from Bruno Cesar, but the Benfica forward’s effort flew wide.
Chelsea created further opportunities of their own. Torres sent a volley over the Benfica crossbar and Ramires continued to trouble Emerson down that flank. At the opposite end Cardozo sent a header over.
The second half was rather more lively than the first, however. Within two minutes Cardozo had seen Luiz chest his effort off the line and Kalou and Mata then went desperately close for Chelsea.
If Benfica had one major grievance, it was the referee’s failure to punish Terry for appearing to intercept a cross from Maxi Pereira with his hand. Terry would no doubt argue it was ball to hand.
But Jorge Jesus’s side could only curse the excellence of Cech for then stopping that Jardel header, just as he probably cursed Jardel for then allowing Torres to skip past him before delivering a pass to Kalou that eluded Luisao.
It was the simplest of finishes for Kalou but a goal Chelsea deserved, not least for their work-rate and a proper team effort. It was a quality Kalou highlighted afterwards. The difference, he said, was that they ‘played like a team’.
So now to Stamford Bridge, the second leg, and what should be Chelsea’s successful passage to the semi-finals.
As someone pointed out last night, this could yet prove to be a repeat of their 2009 season when they sacked their manager, lost to Barcelona in the Champions League semi-finals and then beat Everton at Wembley to win the FA Cup.
That, however, would mean writing off Chelsea before a European game, and that is never a wise thing to do.


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Sun:

And now they are hot favourites for a place in the Champions League semi-finals for a sixth time in nine years.
On four occasions on their travels in Europe this season, the Blues had been ahead without winning once.
But forgotten man Salomon Kalou's vital 75th-minute goal from Fernando Torres' perfect pass silenced Benfica's crowd in the magnificent Estadio da Luz.
Kalou showed the same predatory skills as Eusebio against the Portugal legend's old club.
And it earned Chelsea their first away success on the continent in 13 months.
Kalou is a man reborn under Roberto Di Matteo. The Ivorian barely figured for Chelsea when Andre Villas-Boas was in charge.
But since Di Matteo took command earlier this month he has come right back into the reckoning.
The 26-year-old is out of contract in the summer and is tipped for a possible move to Arsenal.
But his issue at Stamford Bridge has never been about money, it is about getting regular games.
This strike will certainly have helped his argument, although it is unlikely Di Matteo will be in charge to have a say about his future.
For now, though, the pair are enjoying themselves and Di Matteo hoisted Kalou into the air at the final whistle in celebration.
The Champions League is treating the interim boss very well. He has a 100 per cent record from two games.
The Italian masterminded the extraordinary turnaround against Napoli in the previous round and now this in the first leg of the quarter-final.
Yet before kick-off, we wondered if he had signed his own death warrant the way Villas-Boas did when he axed the old guard for the last-16 first-leg game in Naples and lost 3-1.
Frank Lampard, Didier Drogba and Michael Essien were all dumped on the bench last night.
Yet there was a shock recall for another oldie, 33-year-old Paulo Ferreira, who was picked at right-back having not featured at all since the New Year's eve defeat against Aston Villa. Ferreira coped well — in what was only his third start of the season — against the much-hyped Argie Nicolas Gaitan.
He was part of a very well oiled Chelsea defensive machine of which David Luiz was the star.
Luiz was back at the club where he made his name and marked his performance with a crucial chest block on the line from Paraguayan striker Oscar Cardozo's volley just after half-time.
He also showed incredible coolness in the first half to control a ball on his knee right in front of keeper Petr Cech before volleying it away.
Di Matteo has made the point that Chelsea are much tighter defensively these days and the manager must take credit for that. They were immense in keeping out Spurs last Saturday and once more were right on it in Lisbon.
It was not until late in the first half that Chelsea offered any real threat going forward when Torres, preferred to Drogba, worked himself some space in the penalty area only to curl his shot a yard over the bar.
Then Torres picked out Kalou, who laid a ball back for Raul Meireles and he caught it flush from 30 yards, forcing a smart save from Artur going full length to his left.
With the scores level at half-time, the visitors could be well satisfied with their efforts. Being greedy, an away goal was the ideal for Di Matteo's men to make it a perfect night's work.
But first they survived when Luiz made his block and the referee ignored the home fans' screams for a penalty as they claimed their former hero handled.
Then Torres crossed from the left and Kalou was in space to meet the header but he put it over when he should have done better.
There was another escape for Chelsea as Maxi Pereira's volleyed cross hit skipper John Terry's arm at close range.
The crowd were again baying for a penalty and their tempers would have gone up another notch had Juan Mata (right) scored when he latched on to Cech's long kick. The Spaniard went round the keeper but hit the outside of the post with the angle narrowing.
Alex Witsel's shot landed on the roof of the net after deflecting off Terry and Cech beat out a header from Jardel.
Lampard came on to replace Meireles in a stadium where he scored three goals for England at Euro 2004 and another in the penalty shootout when they lost to Portugal in the quarter-finals.
He will have fancied his chances of adding to his tally on this ground but it was left to the unsung Kalou to do the damage.
Ramires, like Luiz a former Benfica star, fed Torres down the right and the striker bustled his way into the area.
Torres took a quick look up before playing a delightful ball across the six-yard box where Kalou converted.
It has been such a strange season for Chelsea yet they are still fighting in two cup competitions, with their FA Cup semi-final now confirmed as being against Tottenham.
Who knows how this will all end.

DREAM TEAM
STAR MAN — DAVID LUIZ (CHELSEA)
CHELSEA: Cech 7, Ferreira 7, Luiz 8, Terry 7, Cole 7, Ramires 6, Meireles 7, Mata 6, Mike 7, Kalou 7, Torres 7. Subs: Lampard (Meireles 68) 6, Bosingwa (Ferreira 80) 5, Sturridge (Kalou 82) 5. Not used: Turnbull, Essien, Drogba, Cahill. Booked: Meireles.

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Express:

BENFICA 0 - CHELSEA 1: ROBERTO DI MATTEO SENDS ROMAN ABRAMOVICH HINT
Salomon Kalou puts Chelsea in the box seat
By John Dillon

FERNANDO TORRES deserves the plaudits for the decisive act of team-work which sent Chelsea’s revitalised season surging on in Europe.
After all, he does not get many these days. But there was an even bigger picture of revival and determination fashioned by a team who have spent so much time this season on the brink of crisis.
Out of the wreckage of defeat in Napoli, the stand-incoach Roberto Di Matteo has conjured a Champions League campaign that is suddenly drenched in fabulous history.
One of the greatest comebacks the competition has known in the last round was followed by this heroic and gritty triumph on their first visit to the fabled Stadium of Light. Benfica, whose eagle soared above the pitch before the game, were comprehensively grounded and frustrated.
Surely, bar a calamity, this has set Chelsea on course for the semi-finals and, potentially, a meeting with their old nemesis from Barcelona, who take on AC Milan tonight
This win will be remembered chiefly for the explosive dash along the left by Torres in the 75th minute which, followed by a clever cut inside and inviting low cross, delivered the winner for Salomon Kalou.
the stand-in coach Roberto Di Matteo has conjured a Champions League campaign that is suddenly drenched in fabulous history
It was a reminder that while he has not repaid the £50million fee in terms of goals, he can be a valuable provider and a solid and hard-working member of the side when he overcomes the blight that infects his game.
Here, when Di Matteo got his selection and tactics right and the old spirit of defiance and unity rumbled through this team so powerfully, what Torres did was an emphatic symbol of the way things have been invigorated since the departure of Andre Villas-Boas.
Roman Abramovich has dumped far too managers far too quickly. But it seems the decision to cut Villas Boas adrift so quickly was an act of ruthlessness that has proven to be the correct one.
In the first-leg defeat in Naples, which had plunged the season into such chaos, Villas-Boas sealed his own fate by leaving Didier Drogba, Frank Lampard and Ashley Cole on the bench. Here in the imposing citadel of a team with a supposedly refreshed hunger for glory, Di Matteo took an equally bold stance.
But it paid off – magnificently. If he is not careful, if he carries on like this, he might force Abramovich to stop making eyes at all the glamour names of European management and hand the job to the man in possession instead.
Once again, Drogba and Lampard were not in the starting line-up. This time, however, Di Matteo’s decision to pour Portuguese-speaking influence into his side and to pick Kalou ahead of the tired Daniel Sturridge was the bedrock.
David Luiz and Ramires, the onetime Benfica players, performed a significant part in the smart and shrewd denial of the home team. Di Matteo also called upon the experienced Paulo Ferreira and the energy of Raul Meireles, both once with Porto.
Luiz, who made a significant block just by the goal-line from frustrated Paraguayan striker, Oscar Cardozo, was particularly energetic. He is often criticised for being erratic but this was an excellent and vital display at his former home.
Then there was an equally critical save by Petr Cech from Jardel’s close-range header as another beacon of the defiance Chelsea brought here.
However, this was largely a calm and assured mission rather than a hectic one.
The message from the start in Di Matteo’s surprise selection was that the first priority was containment, particularly of Cardozo and the Argentinian, Nicolas Gaitan.
Though Benfica looked tidy and technically neat, Chelsea negated them and made them look unthreatening in the area where it mattered most. And that is up front, where the hosts’ finishing was appalling.
But Torres has endured his nightmare and, now, has played a huge part in a season in which Chelsea, suddenly, can dream about improbable glory in Munich come May.