An improbable Anatoliy Trubin header in second half stoppage time capped off a remarkable 4-2 win for Benfica over a listless Real Madrid. Los Blancos had no answers for the Portuguese side, and were thoroughly beaten on the road. Alvaro Arbeloa's side will now face a tight two-leg playoff to secure a Champions League quarter final spot.
Madrid never truly had control in the first half. Alavaro Arbeloa's men struggled back to front, while Benfica, managed by former Madrid boss Jose Mourinho, were happy to hit on the break. Still, Los Blancos took a richly undeserved lead, as Kylian Mbappe headed home with his first real touch.
Yet Benfica fought back. They made it 1-1 after 36 minutes when Andreas Schjelderup completed a sweeping counterattack with a tidy header that crept through Thibaut Courtois' open legs. Their second came from the spot on the stroke of half time. Aurelien Tchouameni shoved his man inside the box, the referee awarded a penalty. Vangelis Pavlidis side-footed down the middle.
Things got worse in the second half. Benfica made it three with another simple counterattack. Schjelderup found space on the left, cut inside Raul Asencio, and tucked a shot in at the near post. But Madrid made it interesting when Mbappe pulled one back off an Arda Guler cross. And there was, indeed, late magic.
But it didn't come from those in Madrid shirts. Instead, deep into stoppage time, with Benfica needing a goal to advance, goalkeeper Anatoliy Trubin nodded home from a free kick, capping off a remarkable evening. His team scraped into the play-offs. Madrid, meanwhile, will face the indignity of a two-leg knockout to stay alive.
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