Mourinho’s Benfica beat Real Madrid 4-2 as Trubin’s stoppage-time header secures last-16 qualification in a dramatic Champions League clash

Benfica on Wednesday stunned Real Madrid with a 4–2 victory in Lisbon, condemning the Spanish giants to a ninth-place finish in the Champions League league phase.

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José Mourinho’s side secured the final qualification spot thanks to an extraordinary 98th-minute header from goalkeeper Anatoliy Trubin, keeping the Portuguese club alive in the competition.

The result meant Real Madrid must now compete in the two-legged knockout play-off round, having suffered a third defeat of the campaign.

Wins for Barcelona, Chelsea, Sporting Lisbon and Manchester City compounded their drop from the top eight.

“We knew where we were coming from, what we were going into, how difficult it would be, and obviously it got the better of us,” new Madrid coach Alvaro Arbeloa told Movistar.

“I think we were far from the level we need to show. I’ve said it these past few days: we’ve got a lot to improve.”

Benfica’s victory featured earlier goals from Andreas Schjelderup, Vangelis Pavlidis from the penalty spot, and Kylian Mbappe’s brace for Madrid.

For Mourinho, it marked his first win over Real Madrid since leaving the club in 2013.

Much of the drama unfolded early, with Benfica initially denied a penalty after a Jude Bellingham challenge on Gianluca Prestianni, overturned following VAR review.

Prestianni then tested Thibaut Courtois with a curling effort tipped onto the crossbar.

Arda Guler briefly signalled a Madrid response with a long-range effort that fizzed just wide before Mbappe opened the scoring with a back-post header, taking his Champions League tally this season to 12 goals.

Benfica quickly struck back, exploiting Madrid’s overconfidence on the counter. Pavlidis converted a stoppage-time penalty after Aurelien Tchouameni’s shirt pull on Nicolas Otamendi.

Schjelderup added another for the hosts, before Mbappe responded with a 58th-minute strike to keep Madrid in the hunt.

The match reached its climax as late dismissals for Raul Asencio and Rodrygo left Madrid with nine men.

In the 98th minute, Trubin rose to head in a free-kick, sending the Estadio da Luz into raptures and sealing Benfica’s dramatic progression.

Also read: Barcelona mount ruthless comeback to crush Copenhagen 4-1

Benfica will now take their place in the Champions League knockout stage, while Real Madrid must face the uncertainty of the play-off round.