PSG fight back to see off Benfica

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PARIS, France -- Paris St Germain put their domestic worries aside when they recovered from a goal down to beat Benfica 2-1 in their UEFA Cup last-16 first leg tie on Thursday.

PSG, who dropped into the relegation zone in Ligue 1 with a 2-0 defeat at fellow-strugglers Sedan last weekend, suffered at first but then showed pride to keep alive their European hopes.

"We reacted well after a difficult start," said PSG coach Paul Le Guen. "This does not mean we will qualify but it's good for our confidence and we need some."

Benfica opened the scoring with a headed goal from captain Simao on nine minutes but the Parisians levelled on 36 minutes through their own captain Pauleta.

An angled cross from the edge of the box from the former Portugal forward found no takers but hit the back of the net.

Four minutes later, Ivory Coast forward Bonaventure Kalou dribbled his way past three defenders to set up fellow striker Pierre-Alain Frau, who scored from close range.

PSG, third from bottom in Ligue 1, boosted their morale before resuming their fight against relegation by hosting Auxerre on Sunday. "This is a nice victory and can help us but the important match is on Sunday," said Pauleta.

Thursday's match was played in a superb atmosphere with around 10,000 fans from Paris' Portuguese community.

Plenty of PSG supporters had also turned up and stood behind their team throughout the game.

"The fans were fantastic," said Pauleta. "They deserve a team in Ligue 1. We'll do everything for that."

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