LONDON: Anis Hadj Moussa’s stoppage-time header saw Feyenoord grab a dramatic 2-1 win over Fenerbahce in the first leg of their Champions League third qualifying round tie on Wednesday, while Benfica took a big step towards the playoffs after a 2-0 win at Nice.

Club Brugge also look in good shape for the playoffs after winning 1-0 away against RB Salzburg alongside former European champions Red Star Belgrade, who downed Poland’s Lech Poznan 3-1.

In one of the standout results of the night, Kazakhstan’s Kairat Almaty secured a narrow 1-0 win over Slovan Bratislava, while Ludogorets Razgrad of Bulgaria played out a goalless draw against Ferencvaros.

Feyenoord coach Robin Van Persie came up against his former club Fenerbahce and left the Turkish side under pressure to turn things around in the second leg or risk missing the Champions League league phase for another season.

Jose Mourinho’s Fener­bahce thought they had secured a late draw through Sofyan Amrabat’s 86th-minute strike but Moussa scored the 91st-minute winner for Van Persie’s men.

“We played very well in the first half,” Van Persie said after the match. “My players came out with great energy. We expected that energy in the second half, but it dipped … we struggled to escape Fenerbahce’s pressure. But we still held on. We had some opportunities, and in the end, we scored a wonderful goal.”

Quinten Timber gave the hosts the lead after 20 minutes in Rotterdam when his effort from inside the box was deflected past Irfan Can Egribayat at the near post.

It was a tightly fought contest, and it looked destined for a draw when Amrabat’s shot cannoned in off the underside of the bar.

But, despite a late chance for Jhon Duran, Feyenoord left with the win thanks to Moussa’s clever header from Jordan Bos’ cross.

“Of course we are disappointed, but we remain confident for the second leg,” said Mourinho. “We will play at home in the same atmosphere that awaited us here.”

The winner of the tie faces either Benfica or Nice for a place in the 36-team league phase of Europe’s premier club competition.

Benfica will have a two-goal lead to defend at home in Tuesday’s second leg against Nice after goals from Franjo Ivanovic and Florentino in the second half secured a vital victory on the road for Bruno Lage’s side.

Nice goalkeeper Yehvann Diouf made three saves in the first half to help keep the scoreline level at the break, as Vangelis Pavlidis was the biggest threat for the visitors in the first half.

However, the Ligue 1 side’s defence was breached in the 53rd minute when Ivanovic went full stretch to get on the end of a brilliant cross from Fredrik Aursnes.

Nice responded well to going a goal down, but Florentino’s powerful long shot five minutes from time doubled Benfica’s advantage.

Franck Haise’s team looked to try and halve the deficit, with Terem Moffi leading the attack, but they failed to get on the scoresheet at home.

“To beat an opponent like this, everything had to be line, to go perfectly,” said Haise. “We showed a lot of good things, but unfortunately it wasn’t enough.”

In Austria, striker Romeo Vermant got across his man to steer home an excellent delivery from Bjorn Meijer on 74 minutes for Brugge’s winner against Salzburg.

The winner of the tie will likely face Rangers, who beat Czech side Viktoria Plzen 3-0 in the first leg on Tuesday.

Red Star, European champions in 1991, took the lead against Lech through Rade Krunic’s controlled finish from the edge of the area in the ninth minute.

The Polish champions levelled matters through Mikael Ishak’s volley but Red Star, looking to advance to the Champions League proper for a third season in a row, were back in front after Krunic’s close-range finish in the 51st before Bruno Duarte added a third in the 73rd.

Published in Dawn, August 8th, 2025