Champions League preliminary round: OGC Nice, beaten by Benfica Lisbon, eliminated in qualifying

Nice, beaten by Benfica Lisbon at the Estadio da Luz (2-0) on Tuesday evening, August 12, in the ^third preliminary round of the Champions League, was far from turning around a situation compromised since last Wednesday (0-2 in the first leg) and will play in the Europa League as last season.

In the league phase of this C3, Franck Haise will have the mission of winning a first European match with the Aiglons, after three draws and five defeats last season and a poor ^35th place out of 36 teams in the end, to which must be added the two defeats against Benfica.

Overwhelmed by the Portuguese, who will face José Mourinho's Fenerbahçe for a place in the Champions League group stage, Nice will need to be much better physically and collectively. The management, who are aiming to recruit Brest's Mahdi Camara, will have to strengthen a squad that is too limited.

Facing a Benfica side identical to the one that started at the Allianz Riviera, Nice once again had to deal with a very weakened team, where the very young Coulibaly, 16 years old, who turned professional this summer, started his first match with the professionals.

The list of Nice's absentees was reminiscent of the worst moments of last season when 14 players were sidelined in the middle of the Europa League phase.

Before this double confrontation, Haise already had to do without seven players: Ndayishimiye (knee), Bombito (shin), Abdelmonem (knee), Abdi (pubalgia) in defense, Ndombélé (pubalgia) in midfield, as well as attackers Cho (convalescing) and Guessand, then on the verge of leaving for Aston Villa.

Since then, Guessand has been off to a good start. And Haise has lost four new players. Sanson (hamstring) and Dante (knee), injured in the first leg, as well as Rosario, who is expected to leave, have seen Algerian midfielder Hicham Boudaoui, who was ill and feverish at the last minute, join them among the absentees.

Under these conditions, it took Bruno Lage's men less than half an hour to secure their qualification. The two Norwegians from the team, Andreas Schjelderup and Fredik Aursnes, took care of everything.

First, on a cross from Schjelderup, Aursnes showed off his technique with a victorious control-volley sequence in the box (1-0, ^19th ). Then the striker gave his compatriot the opportunity to score following a perfect cross back (2-0, ^27th ).