Real Madrid was pushed into the Champions League qualifying playoffs Wednesday after a dramatic loss at Benfica, where a last-gasp header by the Portuguese club’s goalkeeper capped a stunning night that reshuffled the tournament’s knockout field.
Madrid entered the final round of league-stage matches sitting third in the expanded 36-team standings but slipped to ninth following a 4-2 defeat in Lisbon, despite two goals from Kylian Mbappé. The result left the Spanish powerhouse one place outside the top eight, the cutoff for direct qualification to the round of 16.
Benfica, coached by former Madrid manager José Mourinho, advanced in extraordinary fashion. Ukrainian goalkeeper Anatoliy Trubin scored with a header in the eighth minute of stoppage time, a moment that ultimately secured Benfica a place in the knockout phase on goal difference, finishing 24th. Madrid ended the match with nine players after red cards were shown late to Raul Asencio and Rodrygo.
Madrid’s slide out of the automatic qualification places was sealed when Sporting Lisbon struck in stoppage time to claim a 3-2 win at Athletic Bilbao, a result that lifted Sporting into the top eight.
Sporting joined Liverpool, Tottenham, Barcelona, Chelsea and Manchester City in securing direct passage to the round of 16. Arsenal, which completed a perfect league-stage campaign with an eighth straight victory, and Bayern Munich had already confirmed their places at the top of the table.
Paris Saint-Germain also dropped into the playoff round after a 1-1 draw at home against Newcastle. Both clubs began the day inside the top eight but fell to 11th and 12th respectively as results elsewhere went against them.
Madrid, PSG, Newcastle and last season’s runner-up Inter Milan will all feature in Friday’s playoff draw for teams finishing between ninth and 24th, with the winners advancing to the last 16 in March. PSG traveled this route last season, navigating the extra February matches on its way toward another deep European run.
Elsewhere, Norwegian debutant Bodo/Glimt secured a place in the knockout phase by winning 2-1 at Atletico Madrid, underscoring the importance of last week’s home victory against Manchester City in Arctic conditions. Benfica’s late heroics also proved costly for Marseille, which fell out of contention after a 3-0 loss at Club Brugge.
Italian clubs Juventus and Atalanta progressed to the playoffs, while Napoli was eliminated after a 3-2 home defeat to Chelsea, finishing 30th in the standings.
