Soccer Football - UEFA Champions League - Benfica v Real Madrid - Estadio da Luz, Lisbon, Portugal - January 28, 2026 Real Madrid's Kylian Mbappe reacts REUTERS/Pedro Nunes
LONDON, Jan 28 (Reuters) - Real Madrid missed out on automatic qualification for the Champions League knockout round as they crumbled to a 4-2 defeat at Benfica on a frenetic final night of group-stage action across Europe on Wednesday.
Kylian Mbappe's goal had put the 15-time winners on course for the win they needed to secure a top-eight finish, but their night ended in chaos as Jose Mourinho's Benfica roared back.
Remarkably, goalkeeper Anatoliy Trubin scored Benfica's fourth goal in the 98th-minute - a header that meant the Portuguese side avoided elimination and crept into the playoffs on goal difference in 24th spot.
Real, who began the night third but ended it ninth, also had Raul Asencio and Rodrygo sent off in stoppage time.
Holders Paris St Germain also slipped out of the top eight as they could only draw 1-1 at home to Newcastle United - a result that left both sides facing a playoff despite starting the final night in the automatic places.
Liverpool thrashed Qarabag 6-0 to end their group campaign in style and finish in third place.
Barcelona, who began the evening in ninth spot, spared themselves a playoff tie as they came from a goal down to beat Copenhagen 4-1 and finish fifth, one place behind Tottenham Hotspur who won 2-0 at Eintracht Frankfurt.
Chelsea trailed 2-1 at Napoli but two goals by Joao Pedro earned them a 3-2 win to clinch sixth spot while defeat left Napoli down and out in 30th place.
DRAMA GALORE
Portugal's Sporting grabbed a last-gasp 3-2 win at Athletic Bilbao thanks to a goal by Alisson Santos to snatch a top-eight spot and effectively relegate Real Madrid to the playoffs.
Manchester City beat Galatasaray 2-0 at home to jump from 11th to eighth and spare themselves a repeat of last season when they failed to reach the last-16 after losing to Real Madrid in the knockout round playoffs.
Arsenal, who like Bayern Munich were already assured of a top-eight finish, became the first club in the new 36-team group format to finish with a 100% record, beating bottom club Kairat Almaty 3-2. Bayern finished second after a 2-1 victory at PSV Eindhoven that left the Dutch club eliminated.
Just like last season, UEFA's expanded group stage for the Champions League has proved a masterstroke with the suspense lasting to the final seconds of the eighth round of fixtures.
Before kickoff on Wednesday only four of the 36 clubs were definitely eliminated and only Arsenal and Bayern Munich were guaranteed to be in the last 16.
Several who started outside the top eight needed wins and other results to go in their favour with Barcelona, Manchester City and Sporting the clubs to seize their chance.
Further down the table the drama was equally compelling, nowhere more so than at Atletico Madrid's Metropolitano Stadium where Diego Simeone's side hosted Norway's Bodo Glimt.
Atletico led through Alexander Sorloth's goal and at one point had moved from 12th into the top eight but Bodo, who stunned Manchester City last week, hit back with goals by Fredrik Sjovold and Kasper Hogh for a remarkable 2-1 win to put the Arctic Circle club into 23rd spot and into the playoffs.
Atletico ended 14th and will have to be content with being one of the seeded teams in the two-legged playoffs.
(Reporting by Martyn HermanEditing by Toby Davis)
