Nice-Benfica: Portuguese stifle, Diouf decisive, Moffi imprecise... The highs and lows

TOPS

When the goalkeeper is his team's best player, it's rarely a good sign. The adage was confirmed this Wednesday evening at the Allianz Riviera, during Nice's 0-2 defeat to Benfica in the third preliminary round of the Champions League. Yehvann Diouf saved the Gym on numerous occasions in the first half, making numerous saves. His right-footed save off his line in the 39th minute was his finest feat of the evening, ably assisted by captain Dante. The Senegalese goalkeeper was less called upon in the second half. However, it was after the break that he conceded two goals. Diouf couldn't do much about the first, scored by Ivanovic (53rd), but was less flawless against the second, by Florentino (88th).

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In his defense, the Portuguese's long-range shot was tricky, bouncing just a few dozen centimeters away from him. A top-flight performance, weighed down by this small error, but which would not have been enough for the Aiglons to win anyway.

Benfica's players put pressure on Nice throughout the match, never (or almost never) letting go. The Gym were unable to react and find solutions despite several great opportunities, all of which were wasted. Richard Ríos was a real poison in midfield, multiplying clever passes and punches behind the referee's back. Morgan Sanson went off injured following contact with the Colombian. The Portuguese seemed to control their game against the somewhat lost Aiglons. It was hard to believe which of the two clubs had barely had a break between last season and the one that has just begun... Remember that the Lisbon side played in the Club World Cup.

While he wasn't decisive, Jonathan Clauss was one of the only Aiglons to truly pose a threat offensively. The French international made numerous runs and forays into the box from his right flank. With his crosses rarely being picked up, he tried to go it alone in the 51st minute and came close to finishing. Benfica scored 120 seconds later. The opening goal didn't stop Clauss, who continued to show his mettle on his flank before gradually losing his position. He could even have won a penalty after the break, when a Portuguese player's hand grazed one of his vicious balls in the box.

FLOPS

With Terem Moffi lined up at the forefront of Nice's attack, the idea seemed logical since Franck Haise lost Gaëtan Laborde (who left for Saudi Arabia) and, above all, his best player, Evan Guessand (very close to Aston Villa), during this transfer window. And this even though he hadn't played for... more than a year.

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The Nigerian had countless chances against Benfica goalkeeper Anatoliy Trublin, but almost always missed the target. His only shots on target were easily saved by the 24-year-old Ukrainian goalkeeper. Moffi could have opened the scoring several times in the first half, but he repeatedly made poor attacking choices when he wasn't at the end of moves and then disappeared somewhat from the radar in the second half. He was replaced in the 89th minute (much too late) by Bernard Nguene, who didn't have time to express himself.

Benfica's serial goalscorer, a key player in Lisbon's fine run in the Champions League last season, was very discreet this evening in Nice. We hardly saw any sight of Vangelis Pavlidis, completely overshadowed by his attacking partner Franjo Ivanovic, who had just arrived at the club from Union Saint-Gilloise. The Greek didn't create any opportunities to find the back of the net and lost avoidable balls in the heart of the game when he tried to get in to touch the ball. For his part, the Croatian missed a few shots before finding his target in the 53rd minute, perfectly launching Benfica.

The season has just begun, and Nice's injury list is already full. Before the match, three central defenders (Ndayishimiye, Bombito, and Abdelmonem), full-back Ali Abdi, midfielder Ndombélé, and striker Cho were all out. A reduced squad that shrank further in the 28th minute of play when Morgan Sanson suddenly held the back of his thigh after a duel with Richard Ríos. He had to make way for the young Tom Louchet (22), a Nice academy graduate with no experience at this level. This blow was quickly compounded by the halftime exit, again due to injury (probably to his left knee), of 41-year-old captain Dante. Losing so many players so early in the season is rare and is a sign of bad luck... or poor physical preparation.