Nice were outclassed by Benfica as the Portuguese side dominated the first leg of their Champions League third-round qualifier, cruising to a 2-0 victory that leaves the tie open only on the away goals rule in the return at Estádio da Luz.
Tactical analysis and match report by Nick Hartland.
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Team news and lineups
– OGC Nice: Injuries continued to bite Franck Haise’s squad. Moïse Bombito, Mohamed-Ali Cho, Tanguy Ndombélé, Ali Abdi and Sofiane Diop were unavailable. Haise lined Nice in his preferred 3-4-3 shape with Yehvann Diouf in goal, a back three of Dante, Juma Bah (making his debut) and Antoine Mendy, wing-backs Melvin Bard and Jonathan Clauss, and a double pivot of Morgan Sanson and Hicham Bouadoui. Up front, Isak Jansson supported Terem Moffi as the focal point.
– SL Benfica: Bruno Lage set up in a 4-4-2, with Anatoliy Trubin in goal, a back four of Samuel Dahl, Nicolás Otamendi, António Silva and Amar Dedić. Midfielders Enzo Barrenechea and Richard Ríos sat in front of the defence, while Andreas Schjelderup and Fredrik Aursnes operated on the flanks. Up front, Vangelis Pavlidis and Franjo Ivanović led the line.
Benfica set tempo from the outset
Nice attempted to build from the back, but Benfica immediately pressed high and aligned into a 3-4-3 shape to choke the passing lanes between Nice’s midfield and defense. Diouf, who arrived from Reims this summer, is comfortable with the ball at his feet but was forced into hurried long balls as Pavlidis pressed him aggressively. With Benfica tightening the squeeze, Diouf couldn’t find short options and Nice repeatedly opted for longer routes, often without the accuracy to threaten.
There were chances for both sides in the first half, with Schjelderup, Ríos and Pavlidis testing Diouf and Bard nearly capitalising at the other end. The warning signs multiplied when Sanson pulled up injured in the 28th minute, replaced by Tom Louchet, altering Nice’s midfield balance.
Fourth-minute press and the first goal
A early marker from Benfica set the tone as Otamendi pushed up from the back to implement a man-to-man press. By forcing Diouf into long clears and denying a clean build from the back, Benfica maintained the initiative and kept Nice on the back foot.
Nice fall behind
The breakthrough finally arrived seven minutes after the break. Bard’s misplaced run on the left allowed Dedić to glide past him and feed Aursnes, who swung in a cross to an unmarked Franjo Ivanović. The striker timed his run perfectly and slotted past Diouf to give Benfica a deserved lead.
From that moment, Benfica controlled the game, with Nice struggling to adjust. The visitors’ pressing and patient build-up prevented Nice from stabilising possession long enough to threaten the Benfica goal, and the game slipped further from Nice’s grasp as Benfica retained the initiative without needing further chances.
The final nail
As the clock approached full-time, Benfica found a second against a exposed Nice. Florentino Luís, who had just come on, collected the ball well outside the box and opted to shoot. The shot wasn’t powerful, but it found its way past Diouf, slipping in at the near post to seal a 2-0 win for Benfica.
Takeaways
Haise could not disguise the gap in class on the night. “We aren’t in the same category,” he admitted, reframing the result as a reality check rather than a collapse. Lage’s plan worked: Benfica pressed with purpose, smothered Nice’s build-up and converted the key moments into a comfortable lead to take to Portugal. If there was any criticism, it would be that Benfica could have pressed their advantage further, but the result was the decisive takeaway.
What this means going forward
Nice must overturn a two-goal deficit on the road to keep the tie alive, a tough ask given the manner of the loss. Benfica, meanwhile, will travel to Lisbon with confidence and a lead that could be extended with a controlled performance away from home. For Haise, the immediate task is to regroup, assess injury recoveries and rethink how Nice can approach a double-header against a side that dictated tempo and shape throughout the first leg.
Summary
Benfica asserted themselves with a high-pressing, cohesive display and refused to let Nice settle into the game. Two second-half goals gave the visitors a decisive advantage to bring back to Estádio da Luz, where Nice will have to summon a performance on the counter and improve their ball retention to keep their European campaign alive.
Additional notes
– Injuries continue to constrain Nice, with Sanson’s substitution in the first half a notable disruption to their midfield structure.
– The tactical shift from Benfica — pressing high and then maintaining control through a balanced 3-4-3/4-4-2 hybrid — proved highly effective against Nice’s build-from-the-back approach.
If you’d like, I can add a short, reader-friendly summary at the top and a quick “what to watch for in the return leg” section to help draw readers into the follow-up.