The China Mail - Madrid condemned to Champions League play-off after Benfica loss

A third defeat of the campaign for Madrid, coupled with wins for Barcelona, Chelsea, Sporting Lisbon and Manchester City, meant Madrid finished ninth and will have to play the two-legged knockout play-off round.

Benfica, on the other hand, will not turn their noses up at the extra game after 'keeper Trubin sensationally nodded in a 98th-minute goal to snatch the last qualification spot on goal difference.

Earlier, Kylian Mbappe netted a brace as Andreas Schjelderup scored twice and Vangelis Pavlidis converted a penalty for the hosts.

For Mourinho, who coached Madrid between 2010 and 2013, it was a first victory at the second time of asking against his old club since departing them.

Much the livelier side in the opening period, Benfica thought they had a penalty on the quarter-hour when the referee pointed to the spot following a Jude Bellingham challenge from behind on Gianluca Prestianni.

But after a VAR intervention, the England midfielder was adjudged to have played the ball and the decision was overturned.

Mourinho was left shaking his head again moments later as Argentine forward Prestianni popped up in space on the left of the Madrid box and shaped a fine curling effort for which Thibaut Courtois needed all of his two-metre frame to tip onto the crossbar.

Arda Guler fired a warning shot across Benfica on 26 minutes with a drive from distance that fizzed just wide of the goal as Madrid showed signs of finally waking up under the pouring rain in Lisbon.

Mourinho's side failed to heed the warning and soon paid for their profligacy as Mbappe brought his Champions League tally this term to 12 goals with a clinical back-post header on the half-hour.

But next it was Madrid who were made to pay for over-confidence as the Portuguese side caught them desperately short on the counter six minutes after their opener.

- Unlikely hero -

Raul Asencio was the only navy-shirted player in the Madrid half as Benfica launched into a counter, but the Spaniard was left slipping and sliding on the turf as Pavlidis went past him and centred for Schjelderup to nod home.

Schjelderup then passed up a golden opportunity to flip the match on its head three minutes later after Amar Dedic found the Norwegian with the goal at his mercy, only for his effort to be blocked by the retreating Fede Valverde.

However, the home side eventually got the lead their performance deserved after Aurelien Tchouameni was penalised for a shirt pull on Nicolas Otamendi from a corner and Pavlidis stroked the resulting spot-kick straight down the middle five minutes into stoppage time.

Alvaro Arbeloa's side got a hold of the ball after half-time but Benfica still posed a threat as Pavlidis won possession back high up the pitch but fired straight at Courtois when well-placed.

Madrid continued to move the ball but again Benfica won it back and sprang forward on 54 minutes, with Schjelderup this time supplying another clinical finish after cutting past Asencio on the edge of the box.

Rodrygo Goes replaced the ineffectual Franco Mastantuono in the immediate aftermath and the Brazilian combined out wide with Guler to set up the unmarked Mbappe, who unerringly fired home from 15 yards in the 58th minute.

Georgiy Sudakov hammered wide after the ball broke to him in the away side's box as the clock ticked into the final 20 minutes with everything still in the balance and Benfica's presence in the knockout play-offs fluctuating with results elsewhere in Europe.

Aided by Madrid going down to nine as Asencio and Rodrygo received late dismissals, Benfica looked set for heartbreak as they were sitting in 25th place level on nine points with Marseille but with fewer goals scored.

The Estadio da Luz then erupted deep in injury time as Trubin turned the unlikeliest of heroes as he nodded in from a free-kick to send Benfica through.

A.Zhang--ThChM