Benfica narrowly edges past Fenerbahce 1-0

The Yellow Canaries lost 1-0 in Portugal on Tuesday evening after putting up a solid fight against Benfica.

Portuguese giants Benfica defeated Fenerbahce 1-0 on Tuesday evening at home in the first leg of their 2018/2019 UEFA Champions League third qualifying round tie.

Argentine winger Franco Cervi’s deflected shot in the 69th minute gave Benfica the lead and only goal of the game, at Estadio da Luz, going into the second leg.

Fenerbahce boss Phillip Cocu spoke to reporters during the post-match conference and said he was optimistic for the second leg, saying the score “is not too bad”.

“The score is not too bad. We played well in the first half. We had the ball, we played well defensively. We were well organized in the second half but we gave the ball away too many times, unnecessarily. In the second leg, with the help of our supporters, at our home, we will fight until the end.”

The winner of the clash between Fenerbahce and Benfica will face PAOK or Spartak Moscow in the play-off round, the last stage of the qualification process for the group stages of the prestigious club tournament while the loser of the tie will move into the UEFA Europa League group stages.