Real Madrid looked ready to turn a corner after weeks of mixed form and the departure of former coach Xabi Alonso. But their revival hopes were crushed in Lisbon as José Mourinho’s Benfica delivered a stunning 4-2 blow in a dramatic Champions League showdown.
Kylian Mbappé gave Los Blancos the lead in the 30th minute, raising expectations of a statement win. However, Benfica responded with relentless attacking pressure, flipping the match on its head and pushing Real into a desperate chase.
“𝑾𝒆 𝒕𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒐 𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒕𝒓𝒐𝒍 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒈𝒂𝒎𝒆, 𝒃𝒖𝒕 𝒎𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒔 𝒐𝒇 𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒐𝒔 𝒅𝒆𝒄𝒊𝒅𝒆𝒅 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈,” 𝒂 𝒅𝒊𝒔𝒂𝒑𝒑𝒐𝒊𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝑹𝒆𝒂𝒍 𝒄𝒂𝒎𝒑 𝒔𝒐𝒖𝒓𝒄𝒆 𝒂𝒅𝒎𝒊𝒕𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝒂𝒇𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒇𝒊𝒏𝒂𝒍 𝒘𝒉𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒍𝒆.
Red Cards and Keeper’s Goal Seal Real Madrid Play-Off Path
Mbappé struck again in the second half to keep Madrid alive, but Benfica surged ahead 3-1 by the end of regulation time. Injury-time drama made matters worse for the Spanish giants as two red cards reduced them to nine men.
The final twist came from an unlikely hero. Benfica goalkeeper Anatoly Trubin rose highest to head in a free-kick off the bar, sealing a sensational 4-2 victory.
“𝑰𝒕 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒂 𝒏𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕 𝒘𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒘𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒘𝒂𝒚,” 𝑴𝒐𝒖𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒉𝒐 𝒔𝒂𝒊𝒅, 𝒑𝒓𝒂𝒊𝒔𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒔𝒊𝒅𝒆’𝒔 𝒇𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒍𝒆𝒔𝒔 𝒇𝒊𝒏𝒊𝒔𝒉.
Despite enjoying 53 percent possession and landing six shots on target, Real were outgunned by Benfica’s sharper attack, which produced 12 efforts on target from 22 attempts.
The defeat drops Real Madrid from third to ninth in the standings, forcing them into the play-offs. Benfica, meanwhile, keep their Champions League dream alive as one of the last teams to secure a spot in the knockout path.
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