Draw with Fenerbahce in the Champions League's first leg: Benfica endure red card to Florentino
Bodo/Glimt sensationally reached the first stage of Europe's elite competition after a 5-0 thrashing of Sturm Graz in their first-leg encounter. Kasper Hogh and Odin Bjortuft scored two goals each in the first half, with Hakon Evjen, Ulrik Saltnes, and Jens Petter Hauge adding to the tally after the restart.
Jens Petter Hauge, on loan from AC Milan, had a stellar performance, ending the match with two assists and leading the team in dribbles (seven) and total duels (18). Only Patrick Berg created more chances than Hauge for Bodo/Glimt. However, specific match statistics for Hauge in this game are not detailed in the search results.
Sturm Graz suffered another blow in the 79th minute when William Boving scored an own goal, leaving them in a difficult position for the second leg. Anatoliy Trubin, the visiting goalkeeper, made two vital saves in the first half to deny goals from Youssef En-Nesyri and Jayden Oosterwolde.
In a different fixture, Fenerbahce and Benfica played out a goalless draw. The match took a dramatic turn in the 71st minute when Florentino was shown a red card for accumulating two yellow cards in quick succession. The second leg of this play-off will take place next Wednesday in Lisbon.
Basel and Copenhagen ended in a 1-1 draw. Xherdan Shaqiri scored a penalty for Basel in the 14th minute, giving them the lead. However, Gabriel Pereira equalised for Copenhagen in first-half stoppage time. En-Nesyri thought he had scored the winning goal late in the match, but it was ruled out for offside.
Jonas Adjetey was sent off from Basel for two yellow cards, eight minutes before the end of the match. Florentino's dismissal in the Fenerbahce vs Benfica match also resulted in a sending off, as he was shown a red card for pulling back Talisca in the 79th minute.
Fenerbahce had an xG total of 0.34 from their 13 attempts in the match against Benfica, while Bodo/Glimt outperformed their xG of 1.92 by 3.08 against Sturm Graz. The Champions League is set to be more exciting as these teams prepare for their second-leg encounters.
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