Lisbon: Portuguese football club Benfica on Thursday issued a statement in which it apologised for the launching of flares from the stands where its fans were sitting at Madrid's Vicente Calderon stadium, when they beat Atletico Madrid 2-1 in the second round of Group C of the European Champions League.

In a statement on the club's website, Benfica said it regrets the incidents caused by a minority of fans and apologised to Atletico Madrid and their fans, especially those who were affected by the irresponsible actions, reports Efe.