Keeper Anatoliy Trubin scores as Benfica shock Real Madrid to make play-offs

Goalkeeper Anatoliy Trubin scored a stoppage-time goal for Benfica to beat Real Madrid 4-2 and sneak into the play-off places after a pulsating Champions League clash.

Kylian Mbappe’s opener was cancelled out by Andreas Schjelderup and just before the break Vangelis Pavlidis converted from the penalty spot to put Jose Mourinho’s Benfica ahead.

Schjelderup bagged his brace after the break and although Mbappe soon scored his second of the evening, Real were frustrated by a solid display from Benfica and finished the game with nine players after Raul Asencio and Rodrygo were both dismissed in stoppage time.

Trubin then secured Benfica’s spot in the unseeded knockout places – on a goal difference of one from Marseille and Pafos – with a thumping header at the death and defeat means Real slip into the seeded play-off places after finishing ninth in the table.

Real struggled to clear a corner in the opening moments as the ball deflected off Tomas Araujo just past a post and Benfica were awarded a penalty in the 15th minute when Jude Bellingham was ruled to have fouled Gianluca Prestianni but, following a VAR consultation, the decision was overturned.

Bellingham then had a shot blocked at the opposite end before Prestianni had a curling strike tipped onto the bar by Thibaut Courtois and the forward was denied again following a great sliding challenge by Bellingham at the near post.

Despite their strong display, Benfica fell behind on the half-hour mark when some slack defending allowed Asencio to whip a menacing cross in for Mbappe to nod home.

Trubin pushed away Asencio’s header as Real looked to strike, but Benfica levelled in the 36th minute when Pavlidis crossed into Schjelderup, who headed through the legs of Courtois.

The hosts came close again when an unmarked Leandro Barreiro had a header bounce wide of the upright and Courtois saved Amar Dedic’s low strike.

Benfica were awarded a penalty on the stroke of half-time when Aurelien Tchouameni brought Nicolas Otamendi down in the box and Pavlidis fired into the bottom corner to send his side ahead in the fifth minute of first-half stoppage-time.

After Vinicius Junior and Pavlidis had early opportunities in the second half, Schjelderup earned his brace in the 54th minute when his low effort squeezed past Courtois into the bottom corner, but Mbappe responded four minutes later with a low strike nestling into the corner for his 13th goal of the league phase.

Georgiy Sudakov fired wide and Trubin was called into action twice to deny both Guler and Rodrygo before Courtois stopped Barreiro from close range.

Real had two players sent off in a chaotic stoppage-time period when Asencio was shown a second yellow card in the second minute of additional time and was followed by Rodrygo five minutes later.

A stunning finale saw goalkeeper Trubin ensure Benfica reach the play-offs on a goal-difference advantage of one on Marseille and Pafos after heading home from Fredrik Aursnes free-kick into the area in the eighth minute of additional time.