Having won the first-leg 1-0 at the Stadium of Light thanks to a Franco Cervi goal, the Eagles travelled to Istanbul knowing that an away goal would put tremendous pressure on the home side.
Gedson Fernandes duly obliged when he converted Castillo’s assist in the twenty-sixth minute leaving the home side needing three goals.
On the stroke of half-time the Turkish side drew level when Potuk headed home Kaldirim’s cross. Benfica picked up three yellow cards in the first fifteen minutes of the second-half as they battled to repel the rampaging Fenerbahce.
The stoic visitors defence held solid to secure an aggregate 2-1 victory. Benfica play the first leg of the game against PAOK Salonika in Lisbon on Tuesday with the return leg a week later. Liverpool, who reached the Champions League final last season, will be sweating on the result as they have a lower UEFA ranking than Benfica.
If Benfica beat PAOK they will confirm their place in the lucrative Group Stage draw and will be in the more favourable Pot 2, but if they lose it is Liverpool who will take their place. PAOK Salonika knocked out FC Basel and Spartak Moscow to progress to the play-off round.
Primeira Liga champions FC Porto kicked off the new season with a comprehensive victory over GD Chaves. Vincent Aboubakar opened the account in the fourteenth minute and Otávio set up Aboubakar for a tap-in six minutes later to make it 2-0.
It was game over on the stroke of half-time as Yacine Brahimi added a third. Jesús Corona got in on the act with a solo effort twenty minutes from time. As the final whistle approached 20-year-old Marius Mouandilmadji, from Chad, claimed goal number five on his Porto debut as the northern outfit kicked off their title defence in style.
Benfica fans have a new goalscoring hero as Pizzi slotted home a hat-trick to give Benfica a 3-0 half-time lead against Vitoria de Guimarães at the Estádio da Luz. Benfica were unable to match the quality of their first-half performance and the visitors clawed a goal back on André André’s second debut for the club, making it 3-1 twelve minutes from time.
Ex-Benfica man Guillermo Celis added a second for Vitoria de Guimarães just three minutes later, sliding a shot past Vlachodimos, to make it 3-2 and create a nervy final fifteen minutes for the Lisbon title contenders.
Following a turbulent summer off the field, Sporting returned to action as they travelled to Moreira de Conégos to play Moreirense. New manager José Peseiro had the worst possible start as he saw his Lions go a goal down after just six minutes when Ivo Vieira found the back of the net. Sporting hit back ten minutes later when Bruno Fernandes found the bottom corner with a strike from just inside the box.
In the second-half Sporting introduced ex-Guimarães star Raphinha and young Jovane Cabral who was instrumental in their second goal. Moreirense’s Heriberto Tavares crashed into the youngster to concede a penalty in the seventy-second minute and Bas Dost stepped up to the spot and fired home past Brazilian keeper Jhonatan.
In stoppage time the visitors made the game safe as Bruno Fernandes freed Dost beyond the Moreirense backline before the Dutchman’s exquisite chip over Jhonatan secured a 3-1 win for the Lisbon outfit.