MATCH REPORT | OGC Nice 0-2 Benfica: Le Gym left with mountain to climb in Champions League qualifier | OneFootball

UEFA Champions League Qualifying, Round 3, 06/08/25

OGC Nice’s chances of reaching the League Phase of the UEFA Champions League were dealt a big blow following a 2-0 defeat to Portuguese side SL Benfica.

The Match

Benfica, who enjoyed wins over Nice’s local rivals, AS Monaco, in last season’s edition of the Champions League, started the brightest. Collectively, Juma Bah, making his debut, and Antoine Mendy failed to deal with a simple long-ball. It was Andreas Schjelderup who profited, getting a shot away but failing to hit the target. Yehvann Diouf, also making his debut, was called into action later in the half as he parried Richard Ríos driven free-kick.

Le Gym suffered their first blow of the night when Morgan Sanson came off with what looked like a hamstring injury before the 30-minute mark. Vangelis Pavlidis then forced Diouf into another save before the break, the former Stade de Reims goalkeeper stopping with his feet to deny the Greek forward from close range.

However, the Portuguese side did take the lead after the break. Melvin Bard couldn’t prevent Fredrik Aursnes from whipping an inch-perfect ball toward the six-yard box, which was met by Franjo Ivanović. Unmarked and with the whole goal to aim for, he made no mistake with his half-volley. He should have added to his account soon after. His first effort in the 61st minute was blazed high and wide from a great position, and his shot one minute later was well-saved by Diouf, who up to that point was infallible in goal.

That changed in the 88th minute. Former AS Monaco midfielder Florentino came off the bench and launched a speculative long-range effort towards Diouf’s near post. It went all the way through and Benfica doubled their lead. It ended 2-0 to the Portuguese side, who have now worked themselves into a very strong position, heading into the second leg next Tuesday.

Man of the Match: Hicham Boudaoui

Diouf was the obvious candidate for his big saves, however, he somewhat blotted his copybook at the death. Hicham Boudaoui was the most enterprising of the Nice players, even if he lacked end-product. He was Le Gym’s main source of ball progression, be it through passes or dribbles, whilst he was also combative, winning 10 of his 12 duels. He wasn’t dribbled past all night and put in an all-round strong display on a night when his teammates struggled to match the quality of the opposition.

GFFN | Luke Entwistle