GOALKEEPER Anatoliy Trubin scored a fairytale stoppage-time goal against Real Madrid to keep Jose Mourinho’s Benfica in the Champions League.
The Portuguese side were already 3-2 up in the final seconds of time added on, in which two Real stars were sent off.
But they needed another goal to sneak into 24th place – the final play-off position – while Real were also pushing for an equaliser that would have moved them into the automatic qualification places.
Stopper Trubin therefore found himself in the unusual scenario of heading upfield for a set-piece while his team were ahead.
And he was found by Fredrik Aursnes’ brilliant free-kick delivery before heading past rival keeper Thibaut Courtois in the 98th minute.
Trubin sprinted away in celebration and was mobbed by team-mates, subs and staff.
MAN DOWN
Ex-Man Utd star, 50, OUT as manager of club battling relegation to non-league
Welcome offer
Get a £50 welcome bonus when you join Sun Vegas and spend £10
The scenes on the touchline were equally chaotic as Mourinho jumped into the arms of a ballboy before they pumped their fists to the crowd in unison.
A manic ending was made even more staggering by the fact Benfica almost let the game peter out by mistake.
Mourinho substituted attacker Andreas Schjelderup for defender Antonio Silva in the 93rd minute, thinking his men were home and dry.
Last-gasp hero Trubin was under the same impression as he tried to waste time moments later.
Club president Rui Costa was the man to deliver the bad news, prompting Mourinho to beckon his goalkeeper forward for the game’s defining moment.
The former Chelsea, Manchester United and Tottenham boss arguably needed a shock win against Real – another of his former clubs – to save his job.
Benfica are 10 points behind Portuguese league leaders Porto and were on their way out of the Champions League before Trubin’s late heroics.
It will have tasted even sweeter for Mourinho as he had never previously beaten Real in six attempts – the most he had ever faced one opponent without winning a game.
A dramatic night started when Kylian Mbappe put Los Blancos ahead on half an hour.
Schjelderup levelled, then scored a second following a penalty from Vangelis Pavlidis as Benfica surged into a 3-1 lead.
Mbappe pulled one back to set up a tense finale – and the dying minutes did not disappoint.
Raul Asencio was the first to see red, picking up a second booking and leaving Real a man light in the 92nd minute.
Then Rodrygo joined him after receiving a second booking for dissent.
Benfica finally woke up to the reality of the situation and struck just in the nick of time – offering up the kind of drama only Mourinho and his teams can provide.
Read the full article here
