Join The Club
The theme of the night was second-half chaos as so many teams and their positions who were even on points in the table kept swapping places due to their goal differential.
The most dramatic ending happened in Portugal as Jose Mourinho’s Benfica earned a 4-2 victory against Real Madrid, thus securing a playoff place.
It was absolute madness.
Trubin Turbulence
By the end of the game both sides needed a goal and wouldn’t you know it? Benfica’s goalkeeper Anatoliy Trubin came to the rescue with a last-second header against the most successful club in Champions League history.
That meant Benfica were in the playoffs and Real Madrid? Out of the top eight. It was a magical evening for the Ukrainian keeper, the Portuguese side and Mourinho, who finally won against his former side.
Benfica also did their Portuguese rivals a favor as Sporting earned a 7th place finish thanks to their win against Athletic Club.
Elsewhere, there was joy for the uber-powerful Premier League as all six clubs from the richest top division in the globe qualified for the knockout stages with five of them ending in the top eight thus earning a direct spot in the Round of 16.
The cream of the crop were Arsenal, who made history by becoming the first club in this recently created League Phase to end it in perfect fashion – no losses, no draws.
Liverpool destroyed Qarabag 6-0 and Liam Rosenior’s Chelsea won 3-2 against Napoli thanks to a wonderful brace from Joao Pedro. That sealed a 6th spot for the West London side.
Finally, Barcelona came back from behind against Copenhagen to win 4-1, thus securing 5th place. PSG drew with Newcastle United, meaning that both ended 11 and 12th.
Here are my overall winners and losers:
Winners
Arsenal: There’s not even a doubt in anyone’s mind over the following statement. Arsenal, who already had a top-two spot prior to their final League Phase game, are currently the best team in the competition as their perfect record proved it thanks to their 3-2 win against Kairat. The added good news for Mikel Arteta’s side is that the victory was achieved with a rotated squad, which included Kai Havertz, who returned after not seeing him since the first day of the season. The German played and also scored in the 15th minute, giving him an added sense of confidence. Speaking of which, Viktor Gyokeres also scored, which echoes a similar sentiment.
Tottenham Hotspur: Similarly to last season, Spurs are struggling in the Premier League, but in the Champions League? Not a problem. On Wednesday, Thomas Frank was very happy as the North London side won 2-0 against Eintracht Frankfurt, who were already eliminated from the playoffs. Goals from Randal Kolo Muani and Dominik Solanke secured the three points in Germany and a direct route in the Round of 16. This is important for Spurs, who need as much breathing space as possible in order to focus on domestic responsibilities.
Bodo/Glimt: This Cinderella story continues for this Norwegian side, who won 2-1 against Atlético de Madrid at Wanda Metropolitano, making them the first club from Norway to qualify from the group stage or league phase in 30 years. The victory, coupled with other results meant that they scraped through the playoffs as they will now either face Real Madrid or Inter. It really has been an amazing campaign for this club, as this is also their debut in the competition. After back-to-back wins against Man City and Atleti, they have booked their place in the playoffs of the Champions League. Magnificent stuff.
Anatoliy Trubin: I can’t have a “winners” column without featuring Trubin’s unbelievable moment against Real Madrid. The 98-minute winner for Benfica at Estadio da Luz made him the fifth goalkeeper in Champions League history to score in the competition since its restructuring in 1992/93. Goal aside, Trubin is a highly-valued stopper as he considered as the third most valuable goalkeeper who is 24 or under in Europe. Now? The price might just increase as he delivered one of the greatest moments in goalkeeping Champions League history.
Losers
Real Madrid: Mbappé scored his 19th and 20th goal in the Champions League, which is a remarkable statistic especially when you consider he only arrived last season. But it just wasn’t enough as Los Blancos could not hold on to a top eight finish. Not only that, but in the midst of the calamity, Raúl Asencio and Rodrygo were given red cards in stoppage time. Their former manager Jose Mourinho gave them a night to forget.
PSG: The defending champions drew with Newcastle United at Parc des Princes and were also out from a direct route into the Round of 16. This is definitely a side that's not clicking completely in the Champions League. The saving grace is that we all know what happened last season as the French champions also didn’t do well in the League Phase table, finishing 15th. So there is time to rectify things when the playoffs arrive. But still, the virality of the team is not as present as it once was.
Results in full
You must confirm your public display name before commenting
Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.
