ZAP // EPA / IMAGO
With passage to the play-offs guaranteed, Sporting needed to win in Bilbao to qualify directly for the round of 16 of the Champions League. Benfica needed to beat the powerful Real Madrid in Luz, and for the lions to win — and it also depended on other results. The stars aligned.
It was a epic night for Benfica and Sporting. Both teams won their games and guaranteed continuity in the Champions League — in the case of the Lions, directly to the round of 16 of the competition.
But when both teams’ games reached their respective minutes 90the scenario was very different. Sporting drew with Atlético in San Mamés and went to the play-offs; Benfica beat Real Madrid 3-2, but it wasn’t enough: they were out of the competition.
This is when two unlikely heroes enter the scene, and perform a coup de theater on both pitches.
After an already epic victory in Alvalade on the penultimate round, over defending champions PSG, the lions entered San Mamés with a comfortable 13 points, which guaranteed them qualification for the play-offs, and with the possibility of qualifying directly. Just win to Atlético.
Sporting started the game badly, and after 3 minutes they were already losing, after a defensive failure by Hjulmand. The disadvantage was short-lived; at 12, Diomande scored the equalizer, with a header, following a corner taken by Maxi Araújo.
Equality was also short-lived; At 28, Atlético took the lead again, which they held until half-time.
Everything was different in the second half. Sporting started better, dominating and creating danger. At 60 minutes, the score is still 2-1but the Leonine team is by far, in the Portuguese league, the one that scores the most goals in the last half hour of the game. AND Bring had entered, minutes before…
Said and done: 62 minutes, Trincão goal to restore equality. The 2-2 remained until the last minute of regular time, a result that did nothing to warm up the Lions and cooled the Eagles, who needed a victory from their usual rivals to hope to qualify.
In Luz, on a rainy night, Benfica was already doing a little history against the mythical Real Madrid. After a goal from Mbappé, which chilled the stands in the 30th minute, Schjelderup he reestablishes equality a few minutes later, at 36.
In the last of the 5 minutes of extra time in the first half, the Greek Pavlidisthis time as almost always, don’t miss the penaltyand puts Benfica 2-1 ahead on the way to the locker room.
There wasn’t even a quarter of an hour left in the second half, Andreas Schjelderup did his thing again, scored twice and increased the Reds’ lead: 3-1 for Benfica. The Norwegian was running for hero of the night, but this was not his hour of glory.
In the 58th minute, Mbappé also scored twice, making the score 3-2. Benfica I won but it wasn’t enoughand Sporting drew in Spain, where there were no good winds.
Regulatory time ends in both games, 5 minutes of extra time in both. And the time has come unlikely heroes.
It happened first in Bilbao. At 90+4, Luis Suarez he isolates himself against Unai Simon and has everything he needs to score the winning goal, but the Basque goalkeeper makes a great save. Although, Alisson Santoswho a few minutes before had jumped off the bench, recovers the ball in front of the opponent’s penalty area and shoot the goal.
For the third time in the Champions League, the Brazilian winger had entered the field to hand victory to the lions. First by making the 2-1 with which Sporting beat Marseille at home; last week, with an assist for Suárez’s 2-1. Tonight, he scored 3-2, his third goal in the competition. The first hero of the night.
With the victory, Sporting made 16 points and qualified directly for the round of 16, in 7th place. It still fits another 13 million euros and 11.75 points for the Portuguese teams’ nest egg in the rankings and UEFA. The night went well for us: two wins, defeats and elimination from Ajax and PSV, Portugal overtook the Netherlands.
It’s not common in Luz to celebrate the rival’s goals — and it wasn’t this time either. But the result in San Mamés was useful. It was essential, but it wasn’t enough: winning 3-2, the Reds they had 9 points and were in 25th placeone of the 24th that would qualify for the play-offs.
Above Benfica, in 23rd and 24th position, two teams with the same 9 points Benfica, but with a better difference in goals scored and conceded: Marseille and Bodø/Glimt. Benfica needed to score another goal against Real Madrid to overcome Marseille, who had already finished their game, with a 3-0 defeat.
At 90+6, the extra 5 minutes have already passed given by the referee, Jude Bellingham makes a foul in midfieldclose to Real’s goal, slightly dropped to the right side. In the same minute, Rodrygo sees the second yellow card and leaves Real Madrid, who had already seen Raúl sent off, playing with 9.
It was the game’s last breath, and Mourinho puts his finger. He shouts to his penalty area and orders the guardian Trubin to go to the opponent’s area. The Ukrainian did so.
When marking the foul, the ball is lifted by Aursnes to enter the area, flies over the opponent’s defense, and the eagles’ goalkeeper appears in the heightstaller than everyone, heading in an indefensible way to make the 4-2 that Benfica needed to qualify.
It was absolute madness at the Luz stadium, it was the night of glory to Anatoly Trubinit was the night of unlikely heroes.
