UEFA Champions League Qualifying Round 3
Benfica 2 - 0 FT Nice
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Futmetrix Verdict
52
FT
Sat, Sep 19
Brighton
3-0
Arsenal
⚡ Intensity
37
⚖️ Balance
17
🏆 Stakes
70
🎲 Upset
80
Brighton dismantle league leaders Arsenal.
Futmetrix Verdict
55
FT
Sun, Sep 20
Gamba Osaka
0-1
Vissel Kobe
⚡ Intensity
40
⚖️ Balance
20
🏆 Stakes
78
🎲 Upset
0
Erik breaks Gamba hearts at 90'
Futmetrix Verdict
100
FT
Sun, Sep 20
Machida Zelvia
2-4
Kashiwa Reysol
⚡ Intensity
100
⚖️ Balance
78
🏆 Stakes
100
🎲 Upset
12
Kashiwa Reysol conquer Machida in away thriller
Match Statistics
Possession
Shots
Shots on Target
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
↓ E. Barrenechea ↑Florentino 63'
↓ F. Ivanovic ↑L. Barreiro 63'
↓ A. Schjelderup ↑G. Prestianni 63'
Jonathan Clauss 65'
73' ↓ I. Jansson ↑J. Boga
73' ↓ J. Clauss ↑H. Koutoune
73' ↓ B. Bouanani ↑G. Bernardeau
↓ 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
Yehvann Diouf 
LATE SHIFT
15
Late Mins
15
Late Mins
90
Total Mins
Started
Entry
Antoine Mendy 
WALL
0
Dribbled Past
0
Dribbled Past
3
Tackles
56%
Duel Win %
Abdulay Bah
WALL
0
Dribbled Past
0
Dribbled Past
4
Tackles
50%
Duel Win %
Kojo Peprah Oppong
LATE SHIFT
15
Late Mins
15
Late Mins
90
Total Mins
Started
Entry
Jonathan Clauss
LATE SHIFT
15
Late Mins
15
Late Mins
73
Total Mins
73
Entry
Tom Louchet
LATE SHIFT
15
Late Mins
15
Late Mins
90
Total Mins
Started
Entry
Djibril Coulibaly
LATE SHIFT
15
Late Mins
15
Late Mins
60
Total Mins
61
Entry
Melvin Bard
LATE SHIFT
15
Late Mins
15
Late Mins
90
Total Mins
Started
Entry
Badredine Bouanani
LATE SHIFT
15
Late Mins
15
Late Mins
73
Total Mins
73
Entry
Teremas Moffi
LATE SHIFT
8
Late Mins
8
Late Mins
82
Total Mins
82
Entry
Isak Jansson
LATE SHIFT
15
Late Mins
15
Late Mins
73
Total Mins
73
Entry
BENCH
Maxime Dupé 
SPECTATOR
0
Saves
0
Saves
0
Conceded
0
Minutes
Théo Bruyère
SPECTATOR
0
Saves
0
Saves
0
Conceded
0
Minutes
Jérémie Boga
LATE SHIFT
15
Late Mins
15
Late Mins
18
Total Mins
Started
Entry
Sofiane Diop
LATE SHIFT
15
Late Mins
15
Late Mins
31
Total Mins
Started
Entry
Billal Brahimi
LATE SHIFT
15
Late Mins
15
Late Mins
0
Total Mins
Started
Entry
Gabin Bernardeau
LATE SHIFT
15
Late Mins
15
Late Mins
18
Total Mins
Started
Entry
Hamza Koutoune
LATE SHIFT
15
Late Mins
15
Late Mins
18
Total Mins
Started
Entry
Laurenzo Monteiro
LATE SHIFT
15
Late Mins
15
Late Mins
0
Total Mins
Started
Entry
Bernard Nguene
LATE SHIFT
15
Late Mins
15
Late Mins
9
Total Mins
Started
Entry
Nice
Midfielders
Anatoliy Trubin
SPECTATOR
0
Saves
0
Saves
0
Conceded
90
Minutes
Amar Dedić
LATE SHIFT
15
Late Mins
15
Late Mins
90
Total Mins
Started
Entry
António Silva 
STORMTROOPER
2
Shots
2
Shots
0
Goals
1
On Target
Nicolás Otamendi
STORMTROOPER
1
Shots
1
Shots
0
Goals
1
On Target
Samuel Dahl 
ARCHITECT
3
Key Passes
3
Key Passes
0
Assists
35%
Pass Acc
Fredrik Aursnes 
SNIPER
100%
Conversion
100%
Conversion
1
Goals
1
Shots
Richard Ríos 
MAGNET
75
Activity
75
Activity
63
Passes
12
Duels
Enzo Barrenechea
STORMTROOPER
2
Shots
2
Shots
0
Goals
0
On Target
Andreas Schjelderup
SNIPER
50%
Conversion
50%
Conversion
1
Goals
2
Shots
Franjo Ivanović
LATE SHIFT
15
Late Mins
15
Late Mins
63
Total Mins
63
Entry
Vangelis Pavlidis
LATE SHIFT
9
Late Mins
9
Late Mins
81
Total Mins
81
Entry
BENCH
Samuel Soares
SPECTATOR
0
Saves
0
Saves
0
Conceded
0
Minutes
Rafael Obrador
LATE SHIFT
15
Late Mins
15
Late Mins
0
Total Mins
Started
Entry
Kerem Aktürkoğlu
LATE SHIFT
15
Late Mins
15
Late Mins
11
Total Mins
Started
Entry
Leandro Barreiro
LATE SHIFT
15
Late Mins
15
Late Mins
28
Total Mins
Started
Entry
Gianluca Prestianni
LATE SHIFT
15
Late Mins
15
Late Mins
27
Total Mins
Started
Entry
Henrique Araújo
LATE SHIFT
15
Late Mins
15
Late Mins
10
Total Mins
Started
Entry
Tiago Gouveia
LATE SHIFT
15
Late Mins
15
Late Mins
0
Total Mins
Started
Entry
Florentino Luís
LATE SHIFT
15
Late Mins
15
Late Mins
28
Total Mins
Started
Entry
Gonçalo Oliveira
LATE SHIFT
15
Late Mins
15
Late Mins
0
Total Mins
Started
Entry
João Veloso
LATE SHIFT
15
Late Mins
15
Late Mins
0
Total Mins
Started
Entry
Leandro Santos
LATE SHIFT
15
Late Mins
15
Late Mins
0
Total Mins
Started
Entry
Diogo 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
Benfica
Nice
Benfica
Nice
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.
Archive note: this preview was written after the match was played.
A Tactical Standoff at the Luz
Skip It Futmetrix Score: 23/100. 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.