Domenico Criscito was sent off late in the game with his second yellow card, allowing the Portuguese side to take the advantage in the first leg of the Champions League tie.
Benfica capitalized on a Domenico Criscito red card to grab a late goal in its 1-0 victory over Zenit on Tuesday.
The Italian defender picked up his second yellow card in the 90th minute and Jonas was on hand to head in the resultant free kick cross from Nicolas Gaitan.
It brought an end to a game which looked destined to fizzle out into a goalless draw, with neither side running away with it throughout the 90 minutes.