Champions League Qualifiers: Trubin Shines for Benfica, Ex-Shakhtar Star Fred Scores for Fenerbahçe
The second legs of the UEFA Champions League third qualifying round have concluded, with all teams now set for the decisive play-off stage—the final hurdle before the group phase of Europe’s premier club competition.
Benfica booked their spot in the play-offs with a commanding 2-0 home win over OGC Nice, and once again, it was Anatoliy Trubin who stood tall between the posts. The 24-year-old Ukrainian goalkeeper delivered another flawless performance, keeping a clean sheet for the third consecutive match this season. Trubin’s assured presence has quickly made him a cornerstone in Roger Schmidt’s setup as the Lisbon giants push for another deep European run.
Elsewhere, in one of the most eye-catching results of the night, Fenerbahçe overturned a first-leg deficit to thrash Feyenoord 5-2 in Istanbul, securing their progression in dramatic fashion. Among the scorers was Brazilian midfielder Fred—a familiar name to fans of Shakhtar Donetsk, where he spent five influential seasons before moves to Manchester United and now to Turkey. The goal capped off a dynamic midfield display and underlined his continued importance to José Mourinho’s side.
2025-26 UEFA Champions League
Day : 2025-08-12
"Koebenhavn" - "Malmö" 5:0 (2:0)
Goals : Huescas, 31 (1:0); Robert, 43 (2:0); Elyounoussi M., 51 (3:0); Mattsson M., 67 (4:0); Robert, 69 (5:0)
Yellow Cards : - Rosengren 20; Djuric A. 36
"Slovan B" - "Kairat" 1:0 (1:0), shoot-out 3:4
Goals : Mak R., 30 (1:0)
Yellow Cards : Weiss 49; Tolic 59; Blackman 60; Mak R. 74; Bajrić 82; Wimmer 90; Marcelli 97 - Satpayev 61; Gromyko 90; Zaria 100; Mrynskiy 108
"Crvena Zvezda" - "Lech" 1:1 (1:0)
Goals : Ndiaye, 45 (penalty) (1:0); Ishak, 90 (1:1)
Yellow Cards : Veljkovic 2; Duarte B. 22; Milson 80; Krunić 81 - Rodríguez P. 80
Red cards : Rodrigão 57' -
"Ferencvaros" - "Ludogorets" 3:0 (1:0)
Goals : Varga B., 38 (1:0); Varga B., 79 (2:0); Szalai G., 86 (3:0)
Yellow Cards : Otvos 61; Toth A. 90; Maïga 90 - Kurtulus 45; Kaloč 61; Chouiar 69; Nedyalkov 85
"Pafos FC" - "Dynamo Kyiv" 2:0 (1:0)
Goals : Oršić, 2 (1:0); Correia J., 55 (2:0)
Yellow Cards : Quina 94 - Vanat 40
"Qarabag" - "Shkendija" 5:1 (4:1)
Goals : Tamba, 10 (0:1); Cake, 16 (own goal) (1:1); Kady B., 18 (2:1); Akhundzade, 33 (3:1); Janković M., 35 (penalty) (4:1); Andrade Le., 59 (5:1)
"Club Brugge" - "Red Bull Salzburg" 3:2 (0:2)
Goals : Rasmussen J., 18 (0:1); Baidoo E., 42 (0:2); Seys, 61 (1:2); Forbs, 83 (2:2); Vanaken, 94 (3:2)
Yellow Cards : Spileers 81 -
"Viktoria Plzen" - "Rangers" 2:1 (1:0)
Goals : Durosinmi, 41 (1:0); Cameron L., 60 (1:1); Markovic Sv., 83 (2:1)
Yellow Cards : Paluska 29 - Gassama 7; Djiga 84
"Benfica" - "Nice" 2:0 (2:0)
Goals : Aursnes, 18 (1:0); Schjelderup, 27 (2:0)
Yellow Cards : Prestianni 90 - Bah 33; Clauss J. 65
"Fenerbahce" - "Feyenoord" 5:2 (2:1)
Goals : Watanabe T., 41 (0:1); Brown Ar., 44 (1:1); Durán, 45 (2:1); Fred, 55 (3:1); En Nesyri, 83 (4:1); Watanabe T., 89 (4:2); Talisca, 95 (5:2)
Yellow Cards : Amrabat S. 21; Durán 62 - Sauer L. 11; Borges G. 75
