Bayern are into Friday's last four draw where they will have a one in three chance of being paired with boss Guardiola's future club Manchester City
Bayern Munich set up a chance for their manager to meet his new team in Friday’sChampions League semi-final draw.
Goals from Arturo Vidal and Thomas Muller eased the tension after Pep Guardiola’s side had gone behind in Lisbon and they survived a late scare after Anderson Talisca's 76th minute free-kick for the hosts..
The Spaniard could now find himself paired with Manchester City in the last four, the team he will take charge of in the summer.
On 27 minutes, Benfica made the breakthrough to level the tie at one-all on aggregate. Eliseu was allowed to carry unchecked and when he lofted a hopeful ball into the box there appeared little danger.
But Raul Jiminez threw himself between two defenders and headed into an empty net as Manuel Neuer misjudged the flight and punched thin air.
Their lead on the night lasted only 11 minutes when a dangerous cross was pushed away by Ederson but the rebound fell to Vidal on the edge of the area and he hammered home a half-volley to add to his goal in the first leg.
Seven minutes into the second half, Bayern had booked their place in the last four. Xabi Alonso delivered a corner and when Javi Martinez headed it across goal, Muller was one of three unmarked Munich players and he turned it home.
Talisca’s free-kick offered late hope for the home fans but they still needed two more and Munich held out.
Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid are also in the draw for the semi-finals.
Benfica 2-2 Bayern Munich (agg. 2-3): Vidal & Muller send Pep's side through
The pair hit either side of half time to put Die Roten back in charge after Raul Jimenez had opened up the tie, and the Bavarians finally booked a last-four spot
Bayern Munich had Arturo Vidal and Thomas Muller to thank as they fought to a 2-2 draw withBenfica, a result which was enough to send them through to the Champions League semi-final.
Vidal had scored the winner when the sides met in Munich last week and was on hand to cancel out Raul Jimenez's opener during the first half in Lisbon on Wednesday.
Benfica soaked up sustained Bayern pressure in the early stages at Estadio da Luz, but broke the deadlock against the run of play through a Jimenez header.
Vidal's powerful leveller provided Pep Guardiola's men with a healthy cushion to defend, leaving Benfica needing two goals by the end of 90 minutes to progress.
Muller put the match to bed after the break, with his goal effectively ending home hopes of a maiden last-four appearance of the Champions League era.
Talisca scored from a 76th-minute free-kick to reduce the deficit, but the damage had already been done, with Bayern now facing the possibility of a clash with Manchester City – Guardiola's future employers – in the last four.
Bayern's first-leg advantage was almost wiped out within three minutes, when Joshua Kimmich conceded a soft free-kick in a dangerous position and Eliseu's low drive ran wide via a deflection off the wall.
The visitors survived that early scare and started to exert some pressure, but struggled to test Ederson in the Benfica goal.
Muller turned wide from a Philipp Lahm cross after 19 minutes as Bayern continued to dominate possession, while David Alaba's skewed effort moments later only served to increase German frustrations.
Vidal failed to get enough power on his header from a lofted Thiago Alcantara ball into the box, with Ederson eventually able to gather, and Bayern were ultimately made to pay for their lack of final product by a great demonstration of vision from Eliseu.
The 32-year-old sent a high ball forward for the advancing Jimenez to head home, with Bayern goalkeeper Manuel Neuer uncharacteristically wayward in his attempts to punch clear.
Benfica could easily have been two up three minutes later, but Jimenez prodded straight at Neuer from the centre of the box.
And Bayern punished that squandered opportunity when an unmarked Vidal rifled home on the half-volley from the edge of the box after Ederson had inadvertently parried a cross into his path.
Vidal lifted an effort over before the break, but Bayern did not have to wait long after the restart for a goal that effectively settled the tie.
Vidal lifted an effort over before the break, but Bayern did not have to wait long after the restart for a goal that effectively settled the tie.
Xabi Alonso's 52nd-minute corner was headed back across goal by Javi Martinez for Muller to tap beyond Ederson.
Douglas Costa hit the right-hand post on the hour, but Benfica were not without their own chances and Andre Almeida forced Neuer to tip over his crossbar from distance when Bayern failed to clear their lines, before Alaba was caught marginally offside in teeing up Muller for a simple finish.
Ederson's blushes were spared when his spillage from a Vidal strike resulted in a corner rather than another Bayern goal after 72 minutes, but Martinez was lucky to escape with a yellow card when he brought down a sprinting Goncalo Guedes on the edge of the box.
Talisca curled home the resulting free-kick and almost repeated the trick soon after, but Benfica still needed two goals to progress – a mountain that proved too big to climb.
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