OGC Nice lost 2-0 to Benfica on Tuesday evening at the Estadio da Luz. Overpowered by the Portuguese side's experience and talent, Les Aiglons will now play in the Europa League.

There was no upset. The Rouge et Noir knew it: they were not favourites going into this doubleheader in the Champions League third qualifying round against Benfica, a European powerhouse. Beaten 2-0 in the first leg last week at the Allianz Riviera, they had their backs against the wall when they took to the pitch in Lisbon on Tuesday evening. Full of youth - the young Djibril Coulibaly (16) showed enthusiasm and tenacity in his first professional minutes - Franck Haise's men fought with everything they had on a pitch that has proven to be cursed for French clubs, who have never won at the Estadio da Luz in 20 visits. But it was not to be.

BENFICA OFF TO A STRONG START

Deprived by another absence, that of Hicham Boudaoui, who was ill and unavailable, as were Dante and Morgan Sanson, who joined the treatment room after the first leg, the Aiglons nevertheless started the game at full throttle. Found on the left side of the opposition's box, Melvin Bard, wearing the captain's armband, saw his shot deflected just centimetres past Terem Moffi's head, denied by Benfica goalkeeper Anatoliy Trubin (3'). Fearless, the young Nice defence, consisting of Antoine Mendy (21), Juma Bah (19) and Kojo Peprah Oppong (21), fought hard in their duels to counter the attacks of the formidable Portuguese attack.

But the young Nice players had to bow to the technical prowess of their opponents, whose ruthlessness dampened their enthusiasm early on. Andreas Schjelderup was played through on the left and perfectly set up Fredrik Aursnes in the middle of Yehvann Diouf's penalty area. The Norwegian international, who got an assist in the first leg, turned goalscorer, finding the net with a controlled two-touch move (1-0, 18').

In the hell of La Luz, the Rouge et Noir were punished again less than ten minutes later when Aursnes returned the favour to his compatriot, who was perfectly positioned at the edge of the box to send a low shot past Diouf (2-0, 27').

CLAUSS DANGEROUS, COULIBALY PROMISING

Already slim, Le Gym's hopes then became virtually non-existent. Especially as luck deserted Jonathan Clauss and his teammates. The French full-back held his head in his hands when he saw his magnificent half-volley with the outside of his right foot crash against the left post, leaving Trubin helpless (31').

Committed and hard-working, much like Coulibaly, who made a big impact defensively, such as when he prevented Franjo Ivanovic from going one-on-one with Diouf (24'), and impressive in the final third with pressing and power, the young Aiglons did not let their heads drop after returning from the changing rooms. But neither Antoine Mendy, with a header from a Clauss corner (49'), nor Badredine Bouanani, who produced a daring roulette-shot combination in the opposition box (51'), were able to get Nice back in the game.

While Hamza Koutoune (18) and Gabin Bernardeau (19) played their first minutes in red and black, Benfica continued to pose a threat. The unstoppable Schjelderup hit the crossbar after a solo run by Vangélis Pavlidis (62'), and Gianluca Prestianni came close to scoring with a powerful shot (68').

FOCUS ON LIGUE 1 AND THE EUROPA LEAGUE

After a match dominated by the home side, the Aiglons were defeated. Facing a stronger and more experienced opponent, Le Gym will continue its European adventure this season in the league phase of the Europa League, starting in September. But before turning their attention to continental competition, Franck Haise's troops will focus on the start of the league campaign and the home game against Toulouse, on Saturday 16 August at 9:05pm.

Hugo Rondet