A night that promised routine qualification for Real Madrid instead turned into late-stage chaos. Pushed into the Champions League play-offs by former boss Jose Mourinho’s Benfica, Los Blancos have learned the hard way that not even goals from Kylian Mbappe can save them from a long journey.
Madrid started the match of the final phase of the league comfortably placed in the top eight of the 36-team table. At the end of a frantic evening in Lisbon, they fell to ninth place and missed out on direct entry to the round of 16 after a dramatic 4-2 defeat.
Mbappe’s efforts are in vain as Real Madrid suffer
Mbappe briefly threatened to save Madrid, scoring twice to keep his side in contention. But Benfica consistently punished Madrid on the counter and constantly struggled for control, exposing defensive gaps and a growing lack of composure from the visitors.
The decisive moment came deep into the break. Reduced to nine men after red cards for Raul Asencia and Rodrygo, Madrid were stunned when Benfica goalkeeper Anatoliy Trubin headed home a late free-kick. The extraordinary goal took Benfica into the top 24 on goal difference while also condemning Madrid to the play-offs.
Former Madrid manager Jose Mourinho described the victory as “historic and important”, while Trubin admitted he was still processing the moment when he scored the first goal of his professional career at the age of 24.
Madrid’s downfall was sealed elsewhere. Sporting CP’s stoppage-time winner in their 3-2 victory over Athletic Club moved them above Los Blancos in the standings, pushing the Spanish giants out of the automatic qualification places at the final hurdle.
Defending champions PSG in the playoffs
Paris Saint-Germain also suffered an unpleasant end to the league stage. A 1-1 draw at home to Newcastle United proved costly as both teams crashed out of the top eight.
PSG, who started the night comfortably, finished 11th after failing to convert their dominance into a decisive result. The defending champions now face another play-off tie that extends their journey to the latter stages of the tournament.
Newcastle finished 12th and will also take part in the play-offs, while last season’s beaten finalists Inter Milan similarly missed out on direct qualification.
All teams in the UCL Knockouts: Complete list
Following the completion of the league stage, the ninth to 24th placed teams will compete in a newly introduced play-off round, with the draw scheduled for Friday. For heavyweights like Real Madrid and PSG, the margin for error disappeared much sooner than expected.
The teams qualified for the knockout stages of the Champions League after the league stage
Until the 16th round
- Arsenal (England)
- Bayern Munich (Germany)
- Liverpool (England)
- Tottenham Hotspur (England)
- FC Barcelona (Spain)
- Chelsea (England)
- Sporting CP (Portugal)
- Manchester City (England)
- Knockout Stage Playoffs – Seeded
- Real Madrid (Spain)
- Inter Milan (Italy)
- Paris Saint-Germain (France)
- Newcastle United (England)
- Juventus (Italy)
- Atlético Madrid (Spain)
- Atalanta (Italy)
- Bayer Leverkusen (Germany)
Knockout stage of the playoffs
- Borussia Dortmund (Germany)
- Olympiacos (Greece)
- Club Brugge (Belgium)
- Galatasaray (Turkey)
- AS Monaco (France)
- Garabagh (Azerbaijan)
- Bodo/Glimt (Norway)
- Benfica (Portugal)
– The end
Issued by:
Debodinna Chakraborty
Published on:
January 29, 2026
