Goalkeeper Trubin’s 90+8’ Header Puts Benfica into Champions League Play-Offs

A goal by a towering goalkeeper deep into stoppage time, a delirious Estádio da Luz and a ticket to the Champions League play-offs: that is the essence of Benfica’s latest European night of pure drama. Anatoliy Trubin’s 90+8-minute header against Real Madrid not only secured a 4-2 win but also protected Portugal’s share of UEFA prize money and set up a tantalising February rematch with the Spanish giants.

Snapshot of a night to remember

• Result: Benfica 4-2 Real Madrid

• Hero: 2.04 m keeper Anatoliy Trubin heads the winner at 90+8

• Consequence: Benfica qualify for the Champions League play-off round on goal difference

• Financial upside: Passage to the league phase would be worth €18.62 M in guaranteed income

• Next opponent: another two-leg tie versus Real Madrid in February

Lisbon roars as the keeper flies forward

The Luz had already witnessed three goals and two red cards when the fourth-official’s board showed +8 minutes. Knowing Benfica still needed one more strike to leapfrog Olympique Marseille on goal difference, José Mourinho waved Trubin upfield for a last-gasp corner. The Ukrainian rose above a crowd of exhausted defenders and powered the ball beyond Kepa Arrizabalaga, triggering an eruption so loud that seismographs at the nearby Instituto Dom Luiz picked up tremors. Fans spoke of a "mini-earthquake"; UEFA’s social channels dubbed it "footballing chaos at its finest".

Mourinho’s bold instruction

Afterward, Mourinho explained that analysts in the dug-out had confirmed the math the moment he had used his final substitutions. "We needed one more; we had nothing to lose," he smiled, calling Trubin’s leap "a historic moment for a club that thrives on European miracles." The coach, who returned to Portuguese football last summer, called the goal “a reminder that Benfica’s badge carries weight well beyond our borders.”

Dressing-room echoes and terrace tears

Inside the tunnel, João Neves said he "couldn’t feel his legs" after sprinting the length of the pitch to celebrate with Trubin. Captain Nicolás Otamendi admitted he "cried like a child". Supporters leaving the Luz long after the final whistle spoke of a sense of destiny: "It felt like 1961 all over again," one lifelong fan told RTP, referencing the club’s first European Cup.

When goalkeepers break the script

Goals by custodians remain collector’s items in the Champions League:

• Hans-Jörg Butt (3 penalties)

• Sinan Bolat’s 2009 equaliser for Standard Liège

• Ivan Provedel’s headed leveller for Lazio in 2023

• Trubin now becomes only the fifth shot-stopper to score in open play, and his is arguably the most consequential, lifting Benfica into the knockout pathway while pushing Madrid into the same treacherous round.

Counting the euros

UEFA’s revamped prize pot for 2025-26 means Benfica’s European destiny has very real budgetary implications:

• Win the play-off: club pockets a guaranteed €18.62 M just for reaching the 36-team league phase, with each victory there adding €2.1 M.

• Lose the play-off: parachute payment of €4.29 M—less than one-quarter of the league-phase guarantee.

• Further progression could push earnings north of €60 M when performance bonuses and the value-pillar share are added.For a Benfica side still financing stadium renovations and an expanded academy project in Seixal, Trubin’s header may prove the most lucrative moment of the season.

The rematch nobody expected—and everyone wants

The play-off draw two days later produced immediate déjà-vu: another two-leg battle with Real Madrid, first in Lisbon, then at the Santiago Bernabéu. Suspensions to Raúl Asencio and Rodrygo, sent off in the group finale, leave the Spaniards shorthanded. Mourinho insists the psychological edge now lies with Benfica: “We’ve shown we can hurt them. The trick is to do it twice more.”

Why Portugal should care

Beyond club loyalties, Portugal’s national coefficient—and the league’s cherished two direct Champions League spots—benefit whenever a domestic side goes deep in Europe. With Porto already eliminated, Benfica stand as the country’s last realistic chance to extend a run that has kept Liga Portugal inside UEFA’s top 6 for the past decade. Every goal from here on safeguards broadcast revenue, prestige and recruitment power for Portuguese football as a whole.

Key takeaways for the week ahead

Trubin’s improbable strike instantly joins the canon of Benfica folklore.

The club is one aggregate victory away from banking a minimum €18.62 M.

A depleted Real Madrid returns to Lisbon in mid-February—tickets will be scarce.

Portugal’s UEFA ranking hopes now ride almost entirely on the Eagles.

For supporters, the message is simple: expect more drama—this team seems to specialise in it.