This is the 3405th most frequent Russian word.
почувствовать
To feel or sense.
In this sentence, 'почувствовал' is used to express the physical or emotional sensation of feeling joy.
Я почувствовал радость, когда услышал эту новость.
I felt joy when I heard this news.
Here 'почувствовать' conveys the act of perceiving or understanding something indirectly or intuitively.
Она смогла почувствовать его намерения по выражению его лица.
She managed to sense his intentions from his facial expression.
In this context, 'почувствовать' is used to describe the act of experiencing or perceiving a sensory attribute, specifically smell.