JOSE MOURINHO’S REVENGE: HOW BENFICA’S 4-2 MASTERCLASS SENT REAL MADRID TO THE PLAYOFF ROUND
Jose Mourinho’s Benfica pull off a miracle! Keeper Trubin's late header knocks out Marseille and sends Real Madrid to the playoffs.
Benfica stunned Real Madrid 4-2, a wild finish that sends both clubs into the Champions League playoffs, while Madrid misses out on the top eight.
Honestly, nobody saw this coming. Benfica’s goalkeeper, Anatoliy Trubin, pulled off the unthinkable: he charged up the pitch in the 98th minute and smashed home a header, making it 4-2. That last-gasp goal kept Benfica’s Champions League hopes alive and slammed the door on Real’s automatic spot in the last 16.
The whole scene at the Stadium of Light was electric. Benfica’s players, their fans, even Jose Mourinho—who used to manage Real—lost their minds as Trubin’s goal hit the net. Just seconds earlier, Benfica were staring at elimination, up 3-2 but still short on goal difference. Trubin’s heroics changed everything.
For real, it was heartbreak. They thought 15 points from eight games would be enough to crack the top eight, but it wasn’t. To make things worse, they finished with only nine men—Raúl Asensio and Rodrygo both saw red.
The match itself was a roller coaster. Andreas Schjelderup bagged two goals for Benfica, Vangelis Pavlidis nailed a penalty, and Kylian Mbappe scored twice for Real in a game that never slowed down.
Benfica’s win knocked out Marseille, who lost 3-0 at Club Brugge. At one point, the big screen in Belgium congratulated both Brugge and Marseille for advancing, but Trubin’s late goal flipped the script.
Both Benfica and Real needed one more goal for different reasons as the clock ticked down. That’s what makes this competition so wild—a single moment, a single goal, and the whole table shifts.
Earlier, Benfica had two strong penalty shouts waved away. Then Real struck first after 30 minutes—Asencio’s cross found Mbappe at the back post. Six minutes later, Asencio slipped on the soggy pitch, Pavlidis pounced, and Schjelderup headed in the equaliser.
Right before halftime, Benfica got their penalty. Aurelien Tchouameni dragged down Nicolas Otamendi, and Pavlidis slammed it home. Schjelderup grabbed his second after the break, finishing off another Pavlidis assist to make it 3-1. Mbappe answered with his own second—his 36th of the season—keeping Real in it.
But Benfica still sat outside the top 24 as stoppage time ticked away. With almost the last kick, Fredrik Aursnes whipped in a free kick, and Trubin—yes, the goalkeeper—headed it in. Lisbon went wild, and Benfica pulled off a miracle.
MARTIN ODEGAARD AND KAI HAVERTZ MISS FINAL TRAINING; CHAMPIONS LEAGUE HOPES FADING
Arsenal's Champions League hopes are in doubt as Martin Odegaard and Kai Havertz miss final training ahead of the Atletico tie.
Martin Odegaard and Kai Havertz didn’t show up for Arsenal’s open training on Monday, just a day before the crucial Champions League semi-final second leg against Atletico Madrid. Both missed Saturday’s comfortable 3-0 win over Fulham because of injuries: Odegaard with his knee and Havertz with a muscular problem.
Odegaard hurt his knee in last week’s draw with Atletico, while Havertz hasn’t played since picking up an issue against Newcastle. After beating Fulham, Mikel Arteta sounded confident they’d be ready for Atletico, but on Monday neither player was seen with the first team. That’s a big hint they won’t be involved at the Emirates.
Arteta is set to speak to the media soon, though don’t expect him to spill much; he’s known for keeping his cards close to his chest when it comes to team news.
There were a couple more missing faces at London Colney. Jurrien Timber (groin) and Mikel Merino (foot) were also absent. Timber hasn’t featured since before the international break, and it’s unclear when he’ll return, but Arsenal hope it’s before the end of the season. Merino’s been out nearly three months since foot surgery. He might not play again this month.
On the upside, Bukayo Saka was back in training after getting subbed at halftime against Fulham, where he started his first Premier League game since mid-March.
Now, Arsenal really have a headache. Odegaard, who scored 15 goals last season, just hasn’t looked the same. Staff are increasingly worried about him; he’s missed 25 games in all competitions this year, thanks to a pileup of injuries: two freak shoulder issues, two muscular injuries, and the recurring knee problem. When he’s fit, Odegaard can still make magic happen; just look at his four assists across six games in January, but right now, his body keeps letting him down.
Havertz’s story isn’t much brighter. He’s managed only 20 appearances this season, mostly because of a serious knee injury in the summer and more muscle problems afterward. He’s Arsenal’s top earner at £280,000 a week, while Odegaard sits fourth at £240,000. Having two high-paid players sidelined so often is not ideal, and Arsenal need answers.
To try to sort out this ongoing injury crisis, Arteta has reportedly brought in a trusted expert from the medical field to lead an investigation. Arsenal hope this move finally sheds some light on their troubled injury record.
DECLAN RICE ACCUSES REFEREE OF CRUMBLING UNDER PRESSURE IN MADRID PENALTY DRAMA
Arsenal head to the Emirates with a 1-1 draw, but Declan Rice is fuming over the officiating standards in the Champions League.
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Declan Rice didn’t hold back after Arsenal’s 1-1 draw in Madrid, backing Mikel Arteta’s outrage and insisting the team deserved a “clear” penalty. He even went so far as to say that Atlético Madrid’s fans pushed the referee, Danny Makkelie, into changing his mind.
Arteta was livid. Late in the first leg of the Champions League semifinal, Makkelie first pointed to the spot for Arsenal after Eberechi Eze went down. But surrounded by Diego Simeone’s wild sideline antics and the roar of 70,000 Atleti supporters, Makkelie stared at the replay 13 times, then flipped his call and waved play on.
Looking back on it, Rice couldn’t believe it. “It’s a clear penalty,” he said. “I don't know how that's not been given. I think the fans got to him and changed his mind. UEFA is just a different world. In both boxes, you have to be so careful because referees call everything.”
Arsenal ran into trouble with VAR twice. First, the ref ruled Ben White handled a Llorente volley, and Julián Álvarez buried the resulting penalty, cancelling out Viktor Gyökeres’ earlier spot-kick. Rice felt for White. Talking with Stan Sport, he said, “If that happens in the Premier League, it doesn’t get given. The ball’s hardly off the ground, and it’s not even on target. But in the Champions League, the refs make these snap calls and whistle for everything. It’s just more strict. But whatever, we move on. We want to beat them next week.”
Despite the drama, Arsenal is still in a solid spot. They’ll head back to London, hoping the home crowd can push them into their first Champions League final since 2006. Bukayo Saka, freshly back from an Achilles injury, is counting on it. “We’d have liked to win, but we’ll take the draw. It’s halftime, and we’re full of confidence going back to the Emirates,” he said. “I’m sure the atmosphere will be even bigger, and that will give us a real boost.”
Before that return leg, Arsenal face Fulham at home on Saturday. They could put more heat on Manchester City by stretching their Premier League lead, though City still has games in hand and plays Everton next. The race is on.
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