Manchester United traveled to the vociferous Estadio da Luz on Wednesday night to begin their 2011/12 UEFA Champions League campaign in a clash with SL Benfica. The away tie was anticipated by many as United's most difficult fixture in the group stages and the 1-1 draw went a long to verify that assessment. Despite United's control of possession in the early portion of this match, it was Benfica that was arguably the better side in the opening half. Center-forward Oscar Cardozo scored the opening goal for the home side in the 24th minute when he beat United goalkeeper Anders Lindegaard with a right-footed strike. Over the next 18 minutes, Benfica continued to play well until the ageless Ryan Giggs stunned the Portuguese side with a cracking left-footed shot from 20 yards out just minutes before halftime -- the equaliser came against the run of play. United improved in the 2nd half but failed to find the winner as the match ended in a 1-1 draw. Here are the highlights
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HIGHLIGHTS: Benfica 1-1 Manchester United | UEFA Champions League (group stages)
By
Gene Um