UEFA Champions League 3rd Qualifying Round
Benfica 2 - 0 FT Nice
Match Statistics
Possession
Shots
Shots on Target
Expected Goals (xG)
Passes
Pass Accuracy
Corners
Fouls
Yellow Cards
Red Cards
Match Events
19' F. Aursnes (A. Schjelderup)
27' A. Schjelderup (F. Aursnes)
Abdulay Juma Bah 33'
HT
61' ↓ D. Coulibaly ↑S. Diop
↓ F. Ivanovic ↑L. Barreiro 63'
↓ A. Schjelderup ↑G. Prestianni 63'
↓ E. Barrenechea ↑Florentino 63'
Jonathan Clauss 65'
73' ↓ I. Jansson ↑J. Boga
73' ↓ B. Bouanani ↑G. Bernardeau
73' ↓ J. Clauss ↑H. Koutoune
↓ V. Pavlidis ↑H. Araujo 81'
82' ↓ T. Moffi ↑B. Nguene
↓ F. Aursnes ↑K. Akturkoglu 84'
90'+2 Gianluca Prestianni
FT
Player Cards
Our take on every player in this match
Benfica
Midfielders
Y. Diouf 
LATE SHIFT
15
Late Mins
15
Late Mins
90
Total Mins
Started
Entry
A. Mendy 
WALL
0
Dribbled Past
0
Dribbled Past
3
Tackles
56%
Duel Win %
J. Bah
WALL
0
Dribbled Past
0
Dribbled Past
4
Tackles
50%
Duel Win %
K. Peprah
LATE SHIFT
15
Late Mins
15
Late Mins
90
Total Mins
Started
Entry
J. Clauss
LATE SHIFT
15
Late Mins
15
Late Mins
73
Total Mins
73
Entry
T. Louchet
LATE SHIFT
15
Late Mins
15
Late Mins
90
Total Mins
Started
Entry
D. Coulibaly
LATE SHIFT
15
Late Mins
15
Late Mins
60
Total Mins
61
Entry
M. Bard
LATE SHIFT
15
Late Mins
15
Late Mins
90
Total Mins
Started
Entry
B. Bouanani
LATE SHIFT
15
Late Mins
15
Late Mins
73
Total Mins
73
Entry
T. Moffi
LATE SHIFT
8
Late Mins
8
Late Mins
82
Total Mins
82
Entry
I. Jansson
LATE SHIFT
15
Late Mins
15
Late Mins
73
Total Mins
73
Entry
BENCH
M. Dupe 
SPECTATOR
0
Saves
0
Saves
0
Conceded
0
Minutes
T. Bruyere
SPECTATOR
0
Saves
0
Saves
0
Conceded
0
Minutes
J. Boga
LATE SHIFT
15
Late Mins
15
Late Mins
18
Total Mins
Started
Entry
S. Diop
LATE SHIFT
15
Late Mins
15
Late Mins
31
Total Mins
Started
Entry
B. Brahimi
LATE SHIFT
15
Late Mins
15
Late Mins
0
Total Mins
Started
Entry
G. Bernardeau
LATE SHIFT
15
Late Mins
15
Late Mins
18
Total Mins
Started
Entry
H. Koutoune
LATE SHIFT
15
Late Mins
15
Late Mins
18
Total Mins
Started
Entry
L. Monteiro
LATE SHIFT
15
Late Mins
15
Late Mins
0
Total Mins
Started
Entry
B. Nguene
LATE SHIFT
15
Late Mins
15
Late Mins
9
Total Mins
Started
Entry
Nice
Midfielders
A. Trubin
SPECTATOR
0
Saves
0
Saves
0
Conceded
90
Minutes
A. Dedic
LATE SHIFT
15
Late Mins
15
Late Mins
90
Total Mins
Started
Entry
A. Silva 
STORMTROOPER
2
Shots
2
Shots
0
Goals
1
On Target
N. Otamendi
STORMTROOPER
1
Shots
1
Shots
0
Goals
1
On Target
S. Dahl 
ARCHITECT
3
Key Passes
3
Key Passes
0
Assists
35%
Pass Acc
F. Aursnes 
SNIPER
100%
Conversion
100%
Conversion
1
Goals
1
Shots
R. Rios 
MAGNET
75
Activity
75
Activity
63
Passes
12
Duels
E. Barrenechea
STORMTROOPER
2
Shots
2
Shots
0
Goals
0
On Target
A. Schjelderup
SNIPER
50%
Conversion
50%
Conversion
1
Goals
2
Shots
F. Ivanovic
LATE SHIFT
15
Late Mins
15
Late Mins
63
Total Mins
63
Entry
V. Pavlidis
LATE SHIFT
9
Late Mins
9
Late Mins
81
Total Mins
81
Entry
BENCH
S. Soares
SPECTATOR
0
Saves
0
Saves
0
Conceded
0
Minutes
R. Obrador
LATE SHIFT
15
Late Mins
15
Late Mins
0
Total Mins
Started
Entry
K. Akturkoglu
LATE SHIFT
15
Late Mins
15
Late Mins
11
Total Mins
Started
Entry
L. Barreiro
LATE SHIFT
15
Late Mins
15
Late Mins
28
Total Mins
Started
Entry
G. Prestianni
LATE SHIFT
15
Late Mins
15
Late Mins
27
Total Mins
Started
Entry
H. Araujo
LATE SHIFT
15
Late Mins
15
Late Mins
10
Total Mins
Started
Entry
T. Gouveia
LATE SHIFT
15
Late Mins
15
Late Mins
0
Total Mins
Started
Entry
Florentino
LATE SHIFT
15
Late Mins
15
Late Mins
28
Total Mins
Started
Entry
G. Oliveira
LATE SHIFT
15
Late Mins
15
Late Mins
0
Total Mins
Started
Entry
J. Veloso
LATE SHIFT
15
Late Mins
15
Late Mins
0
Total Mins
Started
Entry
L. Santos
LATE SHIFT
15
Late Mins
15
Late Mins
0
Total Mins
Started
Entry
D. Prioste
LATE SHIFT
15
Late Mins
15
Late Mins
0
Total Mins
Started
Entry
Match previews and recaps to help you decide which games are worth watching
Aursnes and Schjelderup's Two-Goal Blitz Seals Benfica's Passage
Skip It Futmetrix Score: 23/100. Benfica's midfield intensity suffocated Nice from the opening whistle, turning this Champions League qualifier into a one-sided affair at Estádio da Luz.
Norwegian Duo Orchestrates Early Control
The match was decided in eight minutes of devastating football. Fredrik Aursnes opened the scoring in the 19th minute, latching onto Andreas Schjelderup's precise pass before firing low past the keeper. The partnership deepened just eight minutes later when Schjelderup returned the favour, converting Aursnes's assist to make it 2-0. Two goals, two assists, one narrative: Benfica's midfield had already won the stakes before the half was half-done.
Defensive Fortress Built on Possession
With 58% possession and an 88% pass accuracy rate, Benfica controlled the tempo with surgical precision. Nicolás Otamendi marshalled the backline with commanding authority, ensuring Nice's nine shots never troubled the goalkeeper. The visitors managed zero shots on target—a damning indictment of their attacking impotence. Benfica's 21 total shots, with 14 arriving inside the box, painted the picture of a team operating at a completely different balance of power.
Nice's Defensive Collapse
Nice arrived with hope but departed with regret. Their 42% possession told the story of a team that never gained a foothold. Thirteen fouls and two yellow cards suggested frustration mounting as Benfica's midfield dominance became impossible to arrest. The 81% pass accuracy masked a deeper problem: Nice simply lacked the creative spark to trouble their hosts. Aursnes's four key passes and Schjelderup's three demonstrated the gulf in midfield control—Nice's players spent the evening chasing shadows.
Key Questions
What made Fredrik Aursnes the Man of the Match?
Goal, assist, four key passes, and relentless control of Benfica's midfield tempo. Aursnes dictated play and delivered the decisive moment.
What is the Futmetrix Score?
The Futmetrix Score is our 0-100 verdict on how entertaining a match is. We look at intensity, balance, stakes, and star quality to tell you if it's worth your time.
A Tactical Standoff at the Luz
Skip It Futmetrix Score: 24/100. This 3rd Qualifying Round tie rests on a knife-edge as two sides with contrasting European experience battle for the ultimate prize.
The Setup
Benfica enter this clash looking to stabilize their Form after a period of inconsistency. At the Estádio da Luz, the Portuguese giants aim to leverage their home advantage, but the Balance of this tie suggests a much tighter affair than history might imply. With the Stakes involving a potential pathway to the Champions League league stage, there is no room for error. Nice, anchored by the reliable performances of Hicham Boudaoui in the middle of the park, will look to disrupt the rhythm of the hosts and capitalize on the counter-attack. The Stars will need to align for the visitors if they are to weather the early pressure expected on August 12, 2025.
Key Battle
The heart of the pitch will see a clash of styles between Franjo Ivanović and Hicham Boudaoui. Ivanović, coming off a stellar performance, provides the creative spark and finishing touch for the home side, while Boudaoui acts as the midfield engine for Nice, tasked with breaking up play and initiating transitions to release the away side's pacy attackers.
Our Prediction
Benfica will likely dominate possession for long stretches, but they will find it difficult to break down a resilient and disciplined Nice defensive block. Expect a game defined by narrow margins and tactical patience rather than end-to-end chaos. A single moment of individual brilliance in the second half is likely to be the separator. We expect the home side to carry a slender lead into the return leg with a 1-0 victory.