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A stoppage-time strike from Benfica's Fabrizio Miccoli denied plucky Lille a memorable point in their Champions' League opener in Lisbon.
Based on last year's form, Claude Puel's men would have been expected to fight hard for a top-two place in Group D, but an indifferent start to their domestic campaign has had many observers predicting that they will prove to be pushovers at the European level.
A dogged defensive performance at the Estadio da la Luz suggested they will provide stern opposition for most sides, however, and they will be cursing their luck after coming so close to picking up what would have been a deserved point.
In the end, it was a momentary lapse in concentration which gifted Benfica their winner, as Italian forward Miccoli was allowed to head past superb Lille custodian Tony Sylva two minutes into injury-time.
Only captain Grégory Tafforeau remembers the northerners' last Champions' League campaign in 2001-02, but the French side overcame nerves, inexperience and questionable Ligue 1 form to pose serious problems to their Portuguese hosts.
It took them a while to adjust to the level of play, though, and they did well to survive an opening burst from the home side in which both Miccoli and Simao forced Sylva into making fine saves, and in which Miccoli then struck the crossbar with a sweet volley.
Lille were far from invisible as an attacking force, however, and they came close to taking a first-half lead themselves when Cameroon international Jean Makoun headed over after connecting well with makeshift-forward Daniel Gygax's corner. Exciting but erratic striker Matt Moussilou then fired wide when expertly served by a Geoffrey Dernis cut-back.
Moussilou's threatening pace forced Benfica Coach Ronald Koeman into bringing on Brazilian centre-back Anderson at half-time, while the reaction from Puel was more conservative as he pulled off Gygax for holding midfielder Mathieu Debuchy.
It looked like being a negative ploy at the time, but the introduction of Debuchy almost paid dividends in dramatic fashion when the 20-year-old struck a blinding half-volley from all of 30 metres out that just fizzed past the post.
Mathieu Bodmer also came close with a header over the woodwork from a corner, and Lille's potent counter-attacking play consistently looked like upsetting the hosts. Dernis blasted over when he should have done better from Tafforeau's pull-back with 18 minutes left, but as the clock ticked down Puel's charges seemed content with the draw.
Goalkeeper Sylva was magisterial in his box as ever, especially when he kept out a menacing effort from Greek midfielder Georgios Karagounis towards the end. Lille fans making the long journey must have thought that that expert intervention would serve as a symbol for the match, but they were left heartbroken when Miccoli capped a fine individual performance with his final word.
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