Benfica reached the Champions League play-offs in dramatic fashion, beating Real Madrid 4-2 at Estadio da Luz with a 98th-minute header from goalkeeper Anatoliy Trubin, a goal that pushed Jose Mourinho’s side into the top 24 on goal difference and knocked Marseille out of the competition after a wild six-goal contest.
The Portuguese side looked set to exit despite leading 3-2 in added time, as Andreas Schjelderup struck twice and Vangelis Pavlidis also scored to overturn Kylian Mbappe’s 30th-minute opener, before Mbappe equalised again for Alvaro Arbeloa’s team, only for late red cards to Raul Asencio and Rodrygo to be followed by Trubin’s decisive intervention from a Fredrik Aursnes free-kick.
Mourinho’s team finished 24th in the new 36-club
Champions League standings and could now meet either Real Madrid again or Serie A leaders Inter in the play-off round, yet the coach also addressed domestic concerns, with Benfica sitting 10 points behind Primeira Liga leaders Porto and facing regular criticism from supporters and media.
Under pressure before the match, Mourinho used the emotional night to answer those critics, stressing respect for the squad and the club after securing European progress at the last possible moment and referencing the tension around Benfica’s season so far, particularly with tight league and continental schedules testing the depth of the group.
"I’d like a little bit of respect. I appeal to many of these people, not to jump off balconies. Calm down," Mourinho said. "Benfica will lose, they can hurt us again. But the only thing I’d like is a little bit of respect, for Benfica and for Benfica’s players. "
The victory carried extra significance for Mourinho, who coached Real Madrid from 2010 to 2013 but had never previously beaten Los Blancos as an opponent, and this was the first win over Madrid of Mourinho’s career at the sixth attempt, achieved in front of a jubilant Benfica support that had watched a relentless attacking display in Lisbon.
Benfica attacked with intensity from the start, recording 14 first-half shots against Madrid, and that pressure placed the Spanish side under sustained threat, with competition records showing Madrid have only once faced more first-half attempts in a Champions League match on record, when Juventus produced 15 efforts in November 2013.
| Team | Opponent | Competition | First-half shots faced | Match reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Real Madrid | Benfica | Champions League | 14 | Trubin’s 4-2 match in Lisbon |
| Real Madrid | Juventus | Champions League | 15 | November 2013 group stage |
The closing stages created a different kind of history, as Trubin became the fifth goalkeeper ever to score in a Champions League game, joining Jorg Butt, who managed three goals, as well as Sinan Bolat, Vincent Enyeama and Ivan Provedel, each of whom also found the net once in the competition.
Anatoliy Volodymyrovych Trubin pic.twitter.com/PtII7cBzPCSL Benfica (@SLBenfica) January 28, 2026
Mourinho admitted the match ranks among the most chaotic endings of a career already shaped by late swings, pointing out that the situation kept changing as Benfica first led but still risked elimination, then briefly appeared safe, before Mbappe’s second goal forced further changes and calculated risks during stoppage time.
"I don’t remember [a night like this]," Mourinho said. "Winning or losing games in the last minute or the last play of the game has happened to me many times. But in this situation, where you’re winning, but it’s not enough, then you think it’s enough, but it’s not, then you have to change things and take risks, because in the end, this ball could make it 3-3 and at 3-3 we would be eliminated. But I think beating Real Madrid always has an important and significant weight, but at that moment we have to go all out. We are not a very strong team in the air. The big guy went there and scored a spectacular goal, which, regardless of our future in the competition, this victory is historic and, from an economic point of view, it is also important for Benfica, and from a prestige point of view even more so. "
Trubin later explained that the scale of the moment only became clear after the final whistle, revealing that the decision to go forward came from staff and teammates as Benfica chased the goal that would send the club into the Champions League play-offs and reshape their European campaign.
"Before, I hadn’t yet realised what we needed, but then when we got the free kick, I saw everyone looking at me and urging me to go forward, as well as the coach," Trubin said. "It was a crazy moment. For Pavlidis, scoring is normal, but for me, in 32 years, it was the first time I scored a goal, and it’s unbelievable. "
The win keeps Benfica alive in Europe despite pressure at home and secures a financially valuable play-off tie against elite opposition, while also delivering Mourinho’s first success over Madrid and placing Trubin’s late header among the most memorable Champions League moments in the club’s recent history.
