Feyenoord secured a narrow 1-0 victory over Milan in the first leg of their Champions League playoff, with an early strike from Igor Paixão making the difference in Rotterdam. The Brazilian winger cut inside from the left and struck a low drive that somehow found its way past Mike Maignan at the near post, giving the Dutch side a crucial advantage ahead of the return fixture.
Milan pushed forward in search of an equalizer but struggled to break down a resolute Feyenoord defense. The Italian side lacked the cutting edge needed to overturn the early setback, leaving them with significant work to do in the second leg.
Quinten Timber, Feyenoord’s captain, reflected on his team’s confidence and resilience. “These are the nights you play for. We’ve shown this kind of belief before,” he said. “There’s a reason we’re here now. We’ve had several strong performances in the Champions League.”
For Milan, the defeat was a frustrating one, but there remains hope of a turnaround in the second leg. Kyle Walker, making his Champions League debut for the club, remained optimistic. “We can turn it around in the second leg. We have to learn from tonight,” he said, emphasizing the importance of making adjustments before the return match in Italy.
Elsewhere, Club Brugge claimed a dramatic 2-1 victory over Atalanta at the Jan Breydel Stadium, with a controversial penalty proving decisive in stoppage time. The match had started positively for the Belgian side, who took the lead through Ferran Jutglà after 15 minutes. However, Atalanta responded just before halftime when Mario Pasalic found the net to level the score.
As the game appeared to be heading for a draw, a late incident between Sweden teammates Isak Hien and Gustaf Nilsson resulted in a penalty for Brugge. The decision sparked strong protests from Atalanta players, but Nilsson stepped up to convert from the spot, handing Brugge a slender advantage heading into the second leg.
In another playoff clash, Benfica emerged with a 1-0 away win against 10-man Monaco, giving them the upper hand going into the second leg in Lisbon. After a goalless first half, Vangelis Pavlidis produced a moment of quality just after the restart, lifting a deft chip over the goalkeeper to give the Portuguese side the lead.
Monaco’s hopes of a comeback were dealt a severe blow when Al-Musrati received a second yellow card, reducing the hosts to 10 men. Despite their efforts, they were unable to find an equalizer, leaving them needing a big performance in the return fixture.
Breel Embolo, Monaco’s forward, expressed frustration over the officiating, pointing to a moment in the match that he believed could have gone the other way. “We are really disappointed, we had a good first half. We conceded that goal,” he said. “I’ll be honest, we got killed off a bit, from a potential yellow card [against them] to an exclusion against us.”
Despite the setback, Monaco remain hopeful of turning the tie around. “We were punished for an action where Benfica’s full-back could have been booked and we were the ones getting booked. It’s not a good result, let’s be honest. There’s still the return leg and we’re staying positive,” Embolo added.
With the second legs still to come, all three ties remain finely balanced, promising more drama as teams battle for a place in the next round of the competition.
