André Villas-Boas had mused that reaching the Champions League quarterfinals would be his “dream,” but he and his brave Zenit team were rudely awakened as two late Benfica goals sealed a momentous victory for the visitors.
Beaten 2-1 on the night and 3-1 on aggregate, Zenit bowed out of the competition on an evening which took on a decidedly Portuguese feel — with the freezing cold weather being the notable exception.
Zenit, after all, has been prodigious in its recruitment process in recent years as it bids to join football’s top table.
The Russian club possesses a sizable contingent sourced from warmer climes, not to mention a Portuguese manager — and key men such as Ezequiel Garay, Axel Witsel and Javi Garcia were all Benfica players once upon a time.
This, though, was not to be its year.
Benfica held a slender 1-0 advantage after the first leg, and Zenit’s uphill task eventually told.
Though former Porto forward Hulk restored parity for the home team with 20 minutes to play, Villas Boas’ expensively assembled side could not go the distance.
Nicolás Gaitán’s 85th minute strike came out of nothing.
As a Raul Jimenez 30 yard snapshot was palmed unconvincingly onto the crossbar, the impressive Gaitán stole in and gratefully nodded home the rebound, dispelling any lingering Zenit hopes in an instant.
It was a bitter blow for the home side.
It had been poised until then for extra time and a chance to become the first Russian side to make the quarterfinals since CSKA Moscow six years ago.
As it was, with Zenit pushing forward more out of desperation than expectation in the dying embers of the contest, the Benfica substitute Talisca made it 2-1 in added time, adding gloss to the win for the traveling side.
As the ball crossed the line with the referee’s whistle inches from his lips, the Benfica bench erupted in celebration — the game was up.
The Portuguese league leaders takes its place in the quarterfinals of the Champions League for the first time since the 2011-12 campaign.
With exciting young talent from their academy like the 18-year-old Rentato Sanches in its side, the European Champions of 1961 and 1962 can dream again.
