Ukrainian goalkeeper Anatoliy Trubin of Benfica scored a goal in a Champions League match against Real Madrid, directly shaping the Portuguese club’s qualification for the knockout stage.
The final round match of the group stage was played in Lisbon. By that point, Real had already secured a place in the knockout phase, while the outcome was decisive for Benfica. The team needed to win while also relying on slip-ups by several direct rivals. Even that might not have been enough—the Portuguese side also had to finish with a more favorable goal difference than their group competitors. What exactly that margin needed to be remained unclear until the final whistle, as all matches kicked off simultaneously.
By the end of regular time, Benfica were leading 3:2. The matches involving their rivals finished a few minutes earlier, making it clear that to advance on goal difference the Lisbon side needed one more goal. In the eighth minute of stoppage time, the hosts were awarded a free kick, and Trubin went forward into the opposition penalty area. After the delivery, he headed the ball into the net. The 4:2 victory secured Benfica 24th place in the Champions League group stage—the final spot that granted passage to the knockout round.
Goalkeepers joining attacks during free kicks or corners late in knockout matches has long been a standard tactic. Goals scored by goalkeepers in such situations, however, remain rare—more often their forward runs are intended simply to draw defenders and create space for teammates. Anatoliy Trubin’s moment joined a select category: it was only the third time in Champions League history that a goalkeeper scored from open play rather than from a penalty. The previous instances involved Sinan Bolat of Belgium’s Standard in 2009 and Ivan Provedel of Lazio in 2023.
After the match, Trubin said the decisive moment was marked by complete confusion. Benfica’s players did not have accurate information about the results of the parallel games and did not immediately realize that the team needed to score again. “I didn’t understand what we needed. Tomas Araujo and Antonio Silva were shouting, ‘One, one.’ And I was like, ‘What?’ But then I saw everyone saying that I had to go forward. I also looked at the coach, so I went up,” the goalkeeper explained.
The defeat also affected Real Madrid’s position. At the end of the group stage, the club failed to finish in the top eight, which would have granted direct qualification to the second round of the knockout phase, bypassing the opening stage. In the standings, the team ended the phase in ninth place.
Under Champions League regulations, the team finishing ninth faces one of the clubs placed 23rd or 24th in the first knockout round. This means Real and Benfica could meet again as early as the next round. Under an alternative draw, the Madrid side would face Norway’s Bodo Glimt, while Benfica would play Inter Milan. The draw is scheduled for January 30.