Greg . 1 day ago

Benfica ease past Nice to transfer a step closer to Champions League qualification

Benfica scored in a 22nd successive game as they defeated Nice 2-0 in the UEFA Champions League (UCL) third qualifying round.

No goals in either leg for the Ligue 1 club means the Portuguese side go through to the playoff round thanks to a 4-0 aggregate score.

An imposing sea of red greeted both teams as they made their way onto the Estadio da Luz pitch, with the home support making an incredible noise.

It was Nice who took the early initiative, however, with Terem Moffi just failing to connect with a header but forcing Anatoliy Trubin to punch clear.

Moffi was consistently finding space in behind the Benfica defence and blazed over on seven minutes when well placed.

At the other end, Vangelis Pavlidis missed a similar opportunity, as pinpoint long balls from Nicolas Otamendi began to cause problems for the Nice backline.

A superb transfer in the 18th minute got the finish it deserved as Andreas Schjelderup’s wonderful chest control and cross to Fredrik Aursnes saw him underway the scoring past the despairing Yehvann Diouf.

That only succeeded in raising the decibel levels further, and it wasn’t long before the roles were reversed and Schjelderup added a second with a low drive from Aursnes’ assist.

With Otamendi equal to everything aerially, a fierce shot against the woodwork from Jonathan Clauss was the closest the visitors came to a response in the first half.

Approximately 70% possession was an accurate reflection of how on top Benfica were in the opening 45 minutes, with Nice unable to get out of their own half for long periods.

A delayed kick-off in the second half for no apparent reason surfaced to galvanise the French outfit, and they began in the same manner as the first half, with Moffi again making a nuisance of himself.

With the tie already over as a contest, Franck Haise’s side began to play with freedom and took a few risks, leaving themselves completely exposed to swift counter-attacks in the procedure.

Schjelderup hit the bar with a mishit shot on the hour and was substituted soon after as Bruno Lage made a triple change.

 As Benfica continued to pour forward with 20 minutes to play, they racked up the shot count to 18, including a couple of very presentable chances.

Though they didn’t add to the two goals, it was a comprehensive victory.

After ending their five-match winless run at home in the UCL, Benfica have given themselves a great opportunity at qualifying for the competition proper.

Nice, on the other hand, drop into the UEFA Europa League, a competition in which they lost all four of their away games last season.

Betopick Man of the Match: Nicolas Otamendi (Benfica)Check out the match stats here.