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Benfica delivered an all-time UEFA Champions League moment on Wednesday.
Already up 3-2 at Real Madrid, Benfica needed another goal to secure a place in the knockout round of the tournament. The match was awarded five extra minutes of stoppage time and was already in the eighth minute when pandemonium broke out.
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Anatoliy Trubin of Benfica celebrates his team’s fourth goal with a header during the UEFA Champions League 2025/26 League Phase MD8 match between SL Benfica and Real Madrid CF at the Estadio do SL Benfica on Ja. 28, 2026 in Lisbon, Portugal. (Octavio Passos/UEFA/UEFA via Getty Images)
Benfica were awarded a foul near the Real Madrid goal and were essentially given another chance to score. The free kick was placed perfectly in the box as Benfica goalkeeper Anatoliy Trubin, who was down in the area for extra support, headed into the net.
Trubin celebrated as he was mobbed by his teammates. Benfica, a club managed by Jose Mourinho, pushed into the knockout stages in 24th place in the tournament.
“I didn’t know what we needed. Then I saw everybody telling me to go up. I also saw our coach, so I went up, went into the box and I don’t know… I don’t know what to say,” Trubin said. “Crazy moment. I don’t know what to say. I’m not used to scoring. I’m 24 years old and it’s the first time. Unbelievable.”
The goal also meant Real Madrid, a club previously managed by Mourinho, dropped out of the top eight, which automatically qualified for the round of 16.
Benfica’s head coach Jose Mourinho celebrates at the end of a Champions League opening soccer match between Benfica and Real Madrid in Lisbon, Wednesday, Jan. 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Armando Franca)
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“I had no idea if 3-2 was enough, I had no indication. When the free-kick came I sent Trubin up in front,” Mourinho said. “This win is historic and important, even more so from a prestige point of view.”
Trubin became the fifth goalkeeper to score in the Champions League proper, according to UEFA. He was the first since Ivan Provedel scored for Lazio in a 1-1 draw with Atletico Madrid in 2023.
“We knew he could do it,” Mourinho said. “We lost in Porto a few weeks ago and in the last minute he went up and he almost scored. So we know the big guy is capable of this. The quality of the service is obviously the most important thing. You have to put the ball there, but it’s a great goal for the guy.”
Benfica is not exactly a household name to a fair-weather football fan.
Real Madrid’s Jude Bellingham, left, battles for the ball with Benfica’s Fredrik Aursnes during a Champions League preliminary round soccer match between Benfica and Real Madrid in Lisbon, Wednesday, Jan. 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Armando Franca)
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The Portuguese club competes in the Primeira Liga – the first tier of Portugal’s pro football. It is currently third in its table and has not won its league since the 2022-23 season. The club made it as far as the Round of 16 in the 2024-25 season.
