The UEFA Champions League league phase played its final round on Tuesday, and there were some dramatic results, notably the game in Lisbon. Benfica secured a sport to the playoffs phase while dragging their opponent, Real Madrid, following a 4-2 victory.
Benfica Secured Playoff Spot After Beating Madrid
One of the most exciting matches on the UCL final round unexpectedly happened in Lisbon as the Eagles host 15 times winner, Los Blancos. Ahead of that midweek tie, Madrid were sitting in the top eight spot, which guaranteed automatic qualification into the last 16.
Meanwhile, Benfica need a win, and some results go their way just to get into the two-legged playoff round. The game seems to be heading into Madrid’s favor as they went 1-0 up after 30 minutes through their star striker, Kylian Mbappe.
However, Jose Mourinho’s men were not prepared to bow down easily as they battled hard and got back on level terms six minutes later following a goal from Andreas Schjelderup. The home side turned things around just before halftime as Vangelis Pavlidis scored from a spot kick.
Madrid tried to get back into the tie, but it was Benfica that netted their third, thanks to Schjelderup’s brace. Los Blancos opened the game up again as Mbappe netted his second in the 58th minute, triggering a potential intense battle.
Unfortunately, instead of getting an equalizing goal, Madrid had to finish the game with nine men after Raul Asencio and Rodrygo saw red. Needing one goal to qualify, Benfica were going all in, and in the last minute, they scored the all-important fourth goal through their goalie, Anatoliy Trubin.
The goalkeeper created such a dramatic moment, which gave his team at least another round to play in the Champions League. Interestingly, Benfica and Madrid could match up again in the next round as they are in the same pot.
Napoli Out, PSG Drop into Playoff Round
Meanwhile, other surprising outcomes at UCL saw PSG also drop into the playoff phase after only picking up a 1-1 draw at home against Newcastle United. Vitinha’s early goal couldn’t give all three points for PSG as the visiting team equalized just before halftime through Joe Willock.
Another shocking result would be Napoli’s exit from the competition, as Antonio Conte continues his poor record in Europe. The Partenopei suffered a 3-2 home defeat against Chelsea, with Joao Pedro netting a brace for the Blues.
Conte’s men managed only eight points from eight games, a very disappointing record for the Serie A defending champion. This failure means that there are only three Italian teams left in the competition: Inter, Juventus, and Atalanta.
UCL League Phase Last Matchday full results:
Athletic Club 2-3 Sporting; Liverpool 6-0 Qarabag FK; Napoli 2-3 Chelsea; Dortmund 0-2 Inter; PSG 1-1 Newcastle United; Monaco 0-0 Juventus; Barcelona 4-1 Copenhagen; Ajax 1-2 Olympiacos; Eintracht Frankfurt 0-2 Tottenham; Atlético Madrid 1-2 Bodo/Glim; Leverkusen 3-0 Villarreal; PSV 1-2 Bayern Munich; Benfica 4-2 Real Madrid; Club Brugge 3-0 Marseille; Union Saint-Gilloise 1-0 Atalanta; Patos 4-1 Slavia Praha; Man City 2-0 Galatasaray, Arsenal 3-2 Kairat.
UCL Top 8 Standings (Automatic qualification to Last 16)
| # | Club | Pts |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arsenal | 24 |
| 2 | Bayern Munich | 21 |
| 3 | Liverpool | 18 |
| 4 | Tottenham | 17 |
| 5 | Barcelona | 16 |
| 6 | Chelsea | 16 |
| 7 | Sporting | 16 |
| 8 | Man City | 16 |
