Goals by Bernardo Corradi, Stefano Fiore and Sinisa Mihajlovic gave Lazio a hard-earned 3-1 win in the first leg of their Champions League third-round qualifier against Benfica on Wednesday.

Mihajlovic celebrates his free-kick goal. [Reuters]

The Serie A club looked edgy in the opening minutes as goalkeeper Angelo Peruzzi dived to save long range shots by Benfica midfielders Petit and Simao Sabrosa.

In the 16th minute, however, visiting defender Fernando Aguiar failed to chest a pass down cleanly and striker Corradi latched on to the loose ball, flicking it into the net from close range.

"Maybe that was a bit of inexperience on our part," said Benfica coach Jose Antonio Camacho, whose team were back in European competition after a two-year absence.

Benfica's confidence grew as the first half progressed and they almost equalised on the half hour when winger Geovanni curled in a dangerous low cross for Tomo Sokota, but Peruzzi palmed the Croatian's shot round his near post.

Seven minutes after the break Lazio doubled their lead. Claudio Lopez gathered the ball on the halfway line, charged forward and clipped a neat pass to midfielder Luciano Zauri in front of goal.

Arbertini fights the ball. [Reuters]

When Zauri's shot bounced back to Lopez, the Argentine international cut the ball across the box to midfielder Fiore, finished into an open net.

In the 64th minute Benfica were granted a glimmer of hope when a deflected shot by winger Simao Sabrosa pegged the score back to 2-1 and set the nerves of Lazio's defence on edge.

But with 10 minutes remaining, Sokota was penalised for handball and Mihajlovic curled in Lazio's third from the resulting free kick, 25 metres out.

"They're a strong side and they gave us some problems," Lazio coach Roberto Mancini said of the former European champions.

"It was a great game from our point of view. I was especially pleased with our reaction after they came back to 2-1," he added.

Looking forward to the second leg on August 27 he said: "Obviously we'll start that one as favourites because of what happened here tonight, though it be a totally different kind of game".

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