Pandemonium as Portuguese club's goalie nets dramatic score to enter Champions League knockout round

Benfica provided an all-time infinitesimal successful the UEFA Champions League connected Wednesday.

Already up 3-2 connected Real Madrid, Benfica needed different extremity to guarantee a spot successful the knockout circular of the tournament. The lucifer was awarded 5 other minutes of stoppage clip and was already successful the eighth infinitesimal erstwhile pandemonium ensued.

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Anatoliy Trubin of Benfica celebrates scoring his team's 4th extremity with a header during the UEFA Champions League 2025/26 League Phase MD8 lucifer betwixt SL Benfica and Real Madrid C.F. astatine Estadio bash SL Benfica connected Ja. 28, 2026 successful Lisbon, Portugal. (Octavio Passos/UEFA/UEFA via Getty Images)

Benfica was awarded a foul adjacent Real Madrid’s extremity and fundamentally received different accidental to score. The escaped footwear was placed perfectly successful the container erstwhile Benfica goalkeeper Anatoliy Trubin, who was down successful the country for other support, nailed a header into the backmost of the net.

Trubin celebrated arsenic helium was mobbed by his teammates. Benfica, a nine led by Jose Mourinho, pushed into the knockout signifier successful 24th spot of the tournament.

"I didn't cognize what we needed. Then I saw everyone telling maine to spell up. I besides saw our coach, truthful I went up, went into the box, and I don’t know... I don’t cognize what to say," Trubin said. "Crazy moment. I don’t cognize what to say. I’m not utilized to scoring. I’m 24 years aged and it’s the archetypal time. Unbelievable."

The extremity besides meant Real Madrid, a nine that Mourinho formerly managed, dropped retired of the apical 8 that automatically qualified for the circular of 16.

Benfica's caput manager Jose Mourinho celebrates astatine the extremity of a Champions League opening signifier shot lucifer betwixt Benfica and Real Madrid, successful Lisbon, Wednesday, Jan. 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Armando Franca)

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"I had nary thought if 3-2 was enough, I had nary indication. When the escaped footwear came, I sent Trubin up front," Mourinho said. "This triumph is historical and important, adjacent much truthful from a prestige constituent of view."

Trubin became the 5th goalkeeper to person scored successful the Champions League proper, according to UEFA. He was the archetypal since Ivan Provedel scored for Lazio successful a 1-1 gully with Atletico Madrid successful 2023.

"We knew that helium could bash it," Mourinho said. "We were losing successful Porto a mates of weeks ago, and successful the past minute, helium went up, and helium astir scored. So we cognize that the large feline is susceptible of this. The prime of the service, of course, is the astir important thing. You person to enactment the shot there, but it’s an astonishing extremity for the guy."

Benfica isn’t precisely a household sanction to the fair-weather shot fan.

Real Madrid's Jude Bellingham, left, vies for the shot with Benfica's Fredrik Aursnes during a Champions League opening signifier shot lucifer betwixt Benfica and Real Madrid, successful Lisbon, Wednesday, Jan. 28, 2026.  (AP Photo/Armando Franca)

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The Portuguese nine competes successful Primeira Liga – the archetypal tier successful Portugal pro soccer. It is presently 3rd successful its array and hasn’t won its league since the 2022-23 season. The nine made it arsenic acold arsenic the Round of 16 successful the 2024-25 season.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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