MATCH REPORT | Benfica 2-0 OGC Nice: Le Gym crash out of Champions League qualifiers | OneFootball

UEFA Champions League Qualifying, Round 3, 12/08/25

Nice will accompany fellow Ligue 1 rivals Lille OSC and Lyon in the Europa League after crashing out of the Champions League third qualifying round. Like they did last week at home, Franck Haise’s Aiglons shipped two unanswered Benfica goals.

The Match

Six days after their 2-0 home defeat against the Eagles, Le Gym had their back against the wall going into Lisbon’s Estadio da Luz, a stadium in which no French team has ever won. To their credit, Nice started the game with intent, taking the fight to Benfica’s half. Terem Moffi went close to head in the opener, but Anatoliy Trubin outpaced him to clear the danger away.

Given they boasted a two-goal lead, Benfica only had to bide their time and wait for Nice’s first mistake to kill off the tie. The first opportunity to do so occurred way too early for Les Aiglons. In the 17th minute, the unmarked Andreas Schjelderup crept into Nice’s penalty box to cross for his fellow Norwegian countryman, Fredrik Aursnes. The midfielder controlled the ball with his right foot before deflecting it away from Yehvann Diouf’s reach.

Aursnes‘ goal looked to have completely drained Nice of all hope to qualify for the Champions League playoffs. Franck Haise’s players lost most of their duels and let Benfica establish a foothold in their half. Bruno Lage’s side made the most of it. After a minute-long possession sequence, Amar Dedić and Aursnes combined on Nice’s left defensive flank and the Norwegian returned the favor to Schjelderup, whose precise shot beat Diouf at his near post.

Nice went close to halving the deficit on the night as Jonathan Clauss’ powerful half-volley rattled Trubin’s right post. In the second half, Nice’s decision-making continued to disappoint as Trubin was virtually untested. Benfica got the job done and will face José Mourinho’s Fenerbahçe in the playoffs. As for Nice, they will play for the second consecutive season in the Europa League.

Man of the Match: Djibril Coulibaly

The 16-year-old midfielder was thrown in at the deep end by Franck Haise as Hicham Boudaoui pulled out at the last minute through sickness. For his first-ever senior game with his formative club, the France U17 international could have crumbled under pressure. He did not. Until his replacement at the hour mark, he showed plenty of technical ability and personality and was not at fault for any of the goals Nice conceded.

GFFN | Bastien Cheval