Two weeks ago, the thought that Celtic might somehow beat Barcelona seemed to be an impossible dream. Those Parkhead heroics have left Neil Lennon’s men on the brink of a place in the Champions League last 16 for the first time since 2007/2008.

Lisbon has been a happy hunting ground for the Bhoys in the past and tonight, the maths is quite simple. If Celtic win or come away with a score draw from the fake Estadio da Luz (we all know the real one is Inchicore), they will be through to the knockout rounds.

Barcelona won 3-0 against Spartak Moscow earlier this evening, so as Leo Messi might say: your move, Celtic.

Team news coming up.

Here’s your official UEFA team-sheet.

Here are those teams in more traditional format. Samaras and Hooper start up front for the visitors and so 18-year-old Tony Watt, hero of Parkhead, can spend the first part of this evening dreaming about how he’s going to spend all that lovely lucre from his new contract.

Benfica: Artur Moraes, Almeida, Luisao, Garay, Melgarejo, John, Matic, Lima, Perez, Cardozo, Salvio. Subs: Paulo Lopes, Bruno Cesar, Nolito, Maxi Pereira, Rodrigo, Gaitan, Jardel.

Celtic: Forster, Lustig, Wilson, Ambrose, Matthews, Brown, Ledley, Wanyama, Mulgrew, Samaras, Hooper. Subs: Zaluska, Miku, Nouioui, Commons, McCourt, Watt, Kayal.

KICK OFF: Viktor Kassai — the man in the middle when Ireland beat Estonia 4-0 around this time last year — blows his whistle and we’re underway in Lisbon.

While these two work each other out in the opening exchanges, now is an ideal time to remind you that there are five other 7.45pm kick-offs in the Champions League this evening. Of particular interest will be Chelsea’s trip to face Juventus in Turin, while Manchester United are back in hell for a dead rubber against Galatasaray.

GOAL! Benfica 1-0 Celtic (John, 7′) When Neil Lennon printed off all those scripts and passed them around to the Benfica players, what do you suppose they did with them? Because they didn’t read them, that’s for sure.

Poor defending from Celtic is punished by Ola John. Cardozo can’t get his shot off cleanly but when the ball breaks to John, neither Scott Brown nor Mikael Lustig seem particularly sure what to do about it. He keeps his shot low and Fraser Forster doesn’t have much of a chance. Soft. Very, very soft.

Celtic are struggling to get any sort of a hold in this game. Benfica have all of the ball and they’re using it cleverly, forcing Celtic to chase shadows for the most part.

If it’s goals you’re looking for, you’d be well advised to reposition the rabbit ears* and tune in to Cluj v Braga. It’s Cluj 2-1 Braga after 18 minutes; Rui Pedro with a brace for the hosts before Alan pulled one back for the visitors.

*Note to self: find a new joke appropriate for the Saorview era.

Eduardo Salvio hops aboard the showboat with not one, but two drag backs as he makes a nuisance of himself by running at the Celtic defence. Adam Matthews eventually wins it and plays the ball back to Forster who HOOOOOOFS it long to no avail.

That’s been a recurring pattern in these opening 20 minutes: Braga lose the ball, Braga press, Celtic HOOOOOOF. Repeat as required.

I thought I was doing well with two screens and a TV in the office but this is how my colleague Gav Reilly is following tonight’s football AT HOME:

He has TheScore.ie open on his phone. You just can’t see it in this shot. Probably because he’s using his phone to take it. Erm…

Perez makes the mistake of running into Victor Wanyama. He comes away with a bloodied mouth for his troubles. Obviously.

Jean Byrne update: It’s absolutely piddling down in Lisbon, where it’s measuring 8.7 on the Giorgios Samaras hair slickness scale.

As I type, the ball slips out of Almeida’s hands in the act of taking a throw-in. It’s wet out there.

GOAL! Benfica 1-1 Celtic (Samaras, 32′) By such fine margins etc etc…

At one end, Cardozo has a brilliant chance to put Benfica 2-0 up and really make Celtic pay for their sluggish start here. Wilson plays everybody onside so when Salvio slips the ball through the Celtic line, Cardozo only has Forster to beat. He goes for the near post but it’s side-netting and nothing more.

And how many times have we seen this? Celtic come down the other end on a rare attacking venture and win the game’s first corner. Benfica don’t believe in marking, obviously, because when Charlie Mulgrew swings his corner all the way over to the back post, there’s nobody marking Giorgios Samaras. He uses all 8.7 of that hair slickness to power the ball into the ground and into the roof of Artur’s net.

As things stand, Celtic will go through tonight.

Look away, Chelsea fans (although I’m not quite sure why you’d be reading a Celtic liveblog in the first place). In Turin, it’s Juventus 1-0 Chelsea. Quagliarella is the man of the moment.

In the other game in that group, it’s Nordsjaelland 2-1 Shakhtar, while in Romania, it’s Cluj 3-1 Braga. Goalless in Galatasaray and in the Mestalla where Valencia host Bayern Munich.

Samaras goes shoulder to shoulder with Perez which, in referee Kassai’s eyes, is a free to the Benfica man. It’s a booking for Samaras too which is a complete head-scratcher although the replays did show him using some most unparliamentary language to express his disagreement with the initial decision.

Fraser Forster the goalkeeper has been replaced by Fraser Forster the immovable object again tonight. Cardozo’s pull-back cuts right through the scramble in the middle of the penalty area and falls at the feet of goalscorer John. He tries to give Forster the eyes and send him the wrong way but the keeper sticks out a foot to save.

A brief moment of terrifying panic for Celtic as Forster drops a corner under pressure from Benfica captain Luisao. It’s a free-out though and that should be enough to take us to the break.

HALF TIME: BENFICA 1-1 CELTIC

Here are the rest of your half-time scores.

• Nordsjaelland 2-2 Shakhtar Donestk
• Juventus 1-0 Chelsea
• Valencia 0-0 Bayern Munich
• Galatasaray 0-0 Manchester United
• CFR Cluj 3-1 Braga

If things stay as they are, Chelsea will finish the evening third in Group E and in danger of giving up their Champions League crown in the group stages. They host Nordsjaelland in the final round of matches in a fortnight’s time.

While we’ve been glued to Celtic, Clive Tyldesley gave everyone a bit of a chuckle with this oopsie over on ITV’s coverage of Juve v Chelsea.

Happens to the best of ‘em.

YouTube Credit: SkySports1GoalsHD

Over in Denmark, Luiz Adriano treated everybody to this stellar piece of sportsmanship for Shakhtar’s equaliser.

YouTube Credit: JustSomaliPirates

SECOND HALF: A couple of minutes later than advertised, we’re back underway in Lisbon. Maybe the players stopped to discuss Luiz Adriano’s brazen equaliser in the tunnel on the way out.

The first action of the second half comes in Istanbul where Yilmaz has put Galatasaray 1-0 up against Manchester United.

What a block by Adam Matthews. Lima cut back in from the left and had Forster beaten (there’s a sentence you don’t write that often) but the defender was back on the line to make a crucial stop.

Benfica are much the livelier in the opening minutes of this second half. Perez has a half-chance from the edge of the Celtic area but his volley flies over Forster’s bar.

It’s gone from bad to worse for Chelsea in Turin. Arturo Vidal has scored to make it Juventus 2-0 Chelsea.

Meanwhile in Denmark, my friend and yours Luiz Adriano has made it Nordsjaelland 2-4 Shakhtar Donetsk. Booooooo.

Substitution: Celtic make the first change of the evening on 64 minutes. Captain Scott Brown is replaced by Kris Commons. Greek Adonis/goalscorer Giorgios Samaras takes over the captain’s armband.

Lima has another sight at goal but it’s a comfortable save for Forster in the end. Celtic aren’t hanging on — yet — but all of the chances are falling Benfica’s way.

How have Benfica not scored? Lima’s cross from the left bounces directly in front of Forster’s goal. Salvio gets into space in front of Matthews but can’t make any contact.

GOAL! Benfica 2-1 Celtic (Garay, 71′) There was never a chance that Celtic would do things the easy way, was there? Benfica take the lead and on the balance of play, it’s no more than the hosts deserve.

The goal itself is painfully simple. Matic plays the ball into the box, Luisao rises highest to win the header and directs it back across goal to Garay who has been left to wander free totally unmarked at the back post. He connects with a sickeningly sweet volley which nearly tears a hole in Forster’s net from six yards out.

Celtic need a goal now or else it will all come down to their game against Spartak Moscow in a fortnight.

Ooof, Salvio very nearly makes it 3-1 with a beaut from long range. His shot is dipping all the way but it comes down just a second too late and clips the top of Forster’s crossbar.

Substitution: With 15 minutes to go, Benfica make a change; Gaitan on to replace Lima.

Substitutions: More changes as Pereira comes on for Matic for Benfica. Neil Lennon rolls the dice and Parkhead hero Tony Watt comes on to replace Joe Ledley for the vistors. Ten to play.

Great hit by Cardozo from a free-kick but Forster is his equal, reaching up into the top corner to palm the ball over the bar. Top class.

Victor Wanyama is booked for a foul on Gaitan and that means that he’ll be suspended for the game against Spartak. Not good, not good at all. Four to play.

Giovinco completes Chelsea’s night of misery — it’s Juve 3-0 Chelsea in Turin as the game enters injury time.

Back in Lisbon, Tony Watt sees his name in lights again as he picks up the ball and tries to make something out of nothing. The retreating Benfica defence leave him enough room for a shot but he doesn’t catch it well enough to trouble Artur.

Another great save by Forster to keep Celtic’s hopes of that all-important point alive. Cardozo cuts back inside Ambrose and puts his foot through the ball. It’s rising anyway and Forster’s touch does enough to take it over the bar.

That was Celtic’s chance. The ball falls to Kayall on the edge of a crowded penalty area but he does exactly what every kid has been told not to do since Under-7s — he leans back and skies it over the bar.

There’s only inches between Kris Commons’s studs and a dramatic leveller. Watt drives the ball low across the area but Commons can’t get a touch. Any sort of contact and it’s almost certainly 2-2.

FULL TIME: Benfica 2-1 Celtic

Here’s your round-up from across Europe:

• Nordsjaelland 2-5 Shakhtar Donestk
• Juventus 3-0 Chelsea
• Galatasaray 1-0 Manchester United
• CFR Cluj 3-1 Braga
• Valencia 1-1 Bayern Munich
• BATE 0-2 Lille
• Spartak Moscow 0-3 Barcelona

Manchester United are already safely through despite defeat in hell tonight but here’s how the tables are looking for Chelsea and for Celtic:

Some stats from the nice UEFA man in Lisbon before we go:

• Shots: Benfica 31-8 Celtic
• Shots on target: Benfica 18-5 Celtic
• Possession: Benfica 61%-39% Celtic

Those numbers back up what anybody who watched tonight’s game will tell you: Celtic can’t have too many complaints with the result. Qualification is out of their own hands now. They host Spartak on the final day while Benfica travel to Barcelona, and Neil Lennon’s men will need a better result than the Portuguese if they are to go through to the last 16.

That’s all we’ve got time for tonight. Thanks for stopping by and reading.