Real Madrid CRUMBLED Under Pressure from Underdogs Benfica
- therookiereporters
- 6 hours ago
- 4 min read
Real Madrid lost all composure and class during their battle against Benfica, ultimately sacrificing their place in the top 8 and giving way to Benfica’s place in the play-offs!
Jose Mourinho’s Benfica stunned everyone in an all-out battle against the mighty Real Madrid to come away victorious, lifting the club out of the elimination zone and into the play-off rounds in the Champions League. With this, Real Madrid dropped just outside of the guaranteed round of 16 places and into the play-offs themselves. With two teams on completely opposite ends of the spectrum, how did Real Madrid get themselves into this situation, and how did Benfica best such a strong Spanish side?
Before this game, Real Madrid’s form was shaky. In their last few games in the Champions League stages, they had won 2 and lost 2 - but a win would have been enough to send them through. Sitting at 5 wins, they looked to get through to the next round quite easily. On the other hand, Benfica were on their way towards a quick exit, with 2 wins and 4 defeats in the league stages. Looking at this alone, it seemed as though, even with Real Madrid’s form, that they would surely move onto the round of 16 - right? However, things did not work out in their favour.
In the first half, Benfica had Real Madrid twisting their necks often as they hit them on the break multiple times, but they were just unable to capitalize on their attacks. Real Madrid opened the scoreline with a heavy-hitting header from Kyllian Mbappe, which set them up nicely for a win and a place in the top 8 of the league phase. Benfica didn’t give up and kept pushing for an equaliser, and that equaliser came from Andreas Schjelderup, who neatly tucked the goal in between the keeper’s legs to keep the side in the game. Just before half time, Benfica caught Los Blancos off guard for a second time when they conceded a penalty, and Vangelis Pavlidis sent Benfica up 2-1. This left fans shocked, as the players from the Real Madrid side made their feelings known, angrily coming off the pitch at the half-time whistle.
It only got worse from here for Los Blancos. Benfica came out from the break raring to go, and Pavlidis completed a brace against the side, scoring his second goal of the night and the third for As Águias (The Eagles). The comfortable lead didn’t hold for too long though, as Mbappe fought back to get his second goal of the night from a brilliant cross by Arda Guler. This would, however, be the only goals scored for Real Madrid that night. Coming into the closing minutes of the game, Benfica knew that this win would not mean they were going into the play-offs as it stands. On goal difference alone, they could turn the tide in their favour: they just needed one more goal. In the heat of the moment, Real Madrid’s players Raul Ascencio and Rodrygo both received second yellow cards. The players had lost all sense of composure and acted unprofessionally, leaving Los Blancos two players down, where Benfica was awarded a free kick. This being the last chance of the game, Mourinho called all of his players, including Trubin, their goalkeeper. He fired home a strong header at the end of the game from the free-kick, which sent Benfica into the play-offs due to goal difference and Real Madrid were knocked out of the top 8 - they were now in the play-offs.
Mourinho was not short of praise for his goalkeeper and the team. He spoke a lot about the impact of the goal, the win, and how important it was both for him and the team. He said to UEFA:
“We knew that he [Trubin] could do it.
“We were losing in Porto a couple of weeks ago and in the last minute he went there and they almost scored, so we know that the big guy is capable of this.
“The quality of service is of course the most important thing. You have to put the ball there, but it's an amazing goal for the guy.”
He also spoke to the BBC in a similar nature:
“A fantastic goal, a historic goal, a goal that nearly brought the whole stadium down - and I think it was very deserved for us.
“For Benfica it's an incredible prestige to beat Real Madrid.”
The man of the hour and their saviour, Trubin, was also asked about how his moment in the game and what it meant for him by UEFA:
“Before, I didn't understand what we needed.
“I see everyone start to point at me and I go and after I see [I can go forward]. We need one more goal.
“I don't know, I don't know what to say. A crazy moment.
“I am not used to scoring, so for me it was something completely new. I am 24 years old and for me it's the first time.”
The battle isn’t over between these two teams, however. Both did qualify for the play-offs for a chance to progress to the round of 16. However, they are facing each other once again, home and away. Will Benfica once again deliver spectacular performances? Or will Real Madrid dominate like they have done before?
Article written by Naeemah Pathan