Nordic alliance propels Benfica into Champions League qualifiers
The highly anticipated second leg of the Champions League play-off between Benfica and Fenerbahçe is scheduled for August 26, 2025, in Lisbon, Portugal. The match will decide which team qualifies for the Champions League group stage for the 2025/26 season.
The first leg of this tie took place on August 20, 2025, in Istanbul, ending in a 0-0 draw. Benfica played the last 20 minutes with 10 men due to Florentino's red card but managed to hold on to the draw.
Both teams will be coached by Bruno Lage (Benfica) and José Mourinho (Fenerbahçe), who will be aiming to lead their respective teams to victory.
In the first match in Lisbon, Benfica opened the scoring in the 18th minute through Scheldrup's assist to Aursnes. Less than 10 minutes later, Aursnes provided another assist, this time to Scheldrup, making it 2-0. However, Scheldrup missed a chance to score the 3-0 in the 62nd minute by hitting the post. No goals were scored in the second half.
Bruno Lage made substitutions, replacing Ivanovic and Barrenechea with Leandro Barreiro, Florentino, and Prestianni. Later, he introduced Henrique Araújo and Akturkoglu for Pavlidis and Aursnes, respectively.
The game lost intensity after Lage's substitutions, with neither team managing to score in the remaining minutes. It's worth noting that Akturkoglu could potentially leave for Turkish club Besiktas or Fenerbahçe.
Fenerbahçe secured their spot in the Champions League play-off after defeating Feyenoord 5-2. The second leg between Benfica and Fenerbahçe will be a thrilling contest, with both teams eager to secure their place in the Champions League group stage.
The precise kickoff time for the second leg is not yet confirmed, but the first leg kicked off at 3 p.m. ET on August 20, a typical kickoff time for these fixtures.
| Match | Date | Location | Coaches | Result First Leg | |--------------------------------------------|---------------|-----------------------|------------------------------|--------------------------| | Benfica vs. Fenerbahçe (2nd leg, Play-off) | August 26, 2025 | Lisbon, Portugal | Bruno Lage (Benfica), José Mourinho (Fenerbahçe) | 0-0 (Aug 20, 2025, Istanbul)[1][2][3] |
[1] Source 1 [2] Source 2 [3] Source 3
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