In one of the most improbable finishes in Champions League history, Benfica goalkeeper Anatoliy Trubin scored a 98th-minute header to secure a 4-2 victory over Real Madrid on Wednesday night. The result at the Estádio da Luz not only saved the Portuguese side’s European campaign but also condemned the 15-time champions to the uncertainty of the knockout play-offs.
The match served as a dramatic finale to the competition's league phase. Real Madrid entered the evening needing a win to secure a top-eight finish and direct entry to the Round of 16. Instead, the Spanish giants finished ninth in the 36-team standings with 15 points, narrowly missing the automatic qualification cut-off after a night defined by tactical brilliance from José Mourinho and a late-game collapse by the visitors.
The contest was an end-to-end thriller from the opening whistle. Kylian Mbappé gave Madrid the lead in the 30th minute, converting a cross from Raúl Asencio. However, Benfica responded swiftly through 21-year-old Norwegian midfielder Andreas Schjelderup, who equalised just six minutes later. A Vangelis Pavlidis penalty deep in first-half stoppage time turned the tide, sending the hosts into the interval with a 2-1 lead.
The second half mirrored the first’s intensity. Schjelderup doubled his tally in the 54th minute to make it 3-1, but Mbappé’s second goal of the night shortly after kept the visitors within striking distance. As the match reached its boiling point, Real Madrid’s discipline disintegrated. Raúl Asencio and Rodrygo were both dismissed in the closing minutes, leaving the Spanish side with nine men and clinging to a result that would have seen them scrape into the top eight on goal difference.
The defining moment arrived in the eighth minute of added time. Needing a fourth goal to leapfrog Marseille into the play-off positions, Benfica won a final free kick. Trubin, the 24-year-old Ukrainian international, sprinted the length of the pitch to join the attack. He rose highest to meet Fredrik Aursnes’s delivery, powering a header past Thibaut Courtois to spark scenes of pandemonium in Lisbon.
"I knew we weren't through yet, that 3-2 wasn't enough," Benfica manager José Mourinho told reporters after the match. "Our goalkeeper Trubin, who is two metres tall, went into the box and scored a fantastic goal, a historic goal. It felt like the stadium was going to collapse. Incredible."
For Real Madrid manager Álvaro Arbeloa, the defeat was a bitter pill to swallow. The defending champions, who must now navigate a two-legged play-off in February to keep their title defence alive. The draw for those fixtures is scheduled for Friday.
"To win against Real Madrid carries importance and is significant," Mourinho added, reflecting on the win over his former club. "In that moment, we had to give it everything. I saw a great Benfica. We played an extraordinary game, our best in the competition."
Benfica’s victory allowed them to snatch the 24th and final qualification spot, eliminating Marseille in the process. While the Portuguese side celebrates a "miracle" survival, Real Madrid returns to Spain facing questions about their late-game composure and a congested fixture list that now includes two additional high-stakes matches.