The night at the Luz started with the face of an unlikely miracle and ended as one of those stories that only the Champions League allows. Extreme context, maximum pressure, calculations done with a calculator in hand and a Benfica forced to live on a knife edge. It was win and pray, and Benfica chose not to pray first — they chose to attack.
attack. From the very first minutes it was clear Benfica wanted to drag the game into chaos. High press, insane tempo, quick decisions, all or nothing. By the sixth minute there was already confusion inside Real Madrid’s box, by 13’ Pavlidis had wasted a clear chance with a poor first touch, and by 15’ Courtois was already the protagonist with an absurd point-blank save. The penalty initially given and then overturned by VAR did not slow Benfica down; if anything, it only increased the sense of urgency.
Real Madrid, comfortable in the standings, looked unprepared for this environment. They lacked something essential for nights like this: emotional control and control of tempo. Without a player to slow the game down, to breathe with the ball, Madrid allowed themselves to be dragged into the game Benfica wanted. And in that chaotic, intense, vertical game, Benfica were clearly superior.
Prestianni, Schjelderup and Pavlidis provided constant mobility, Sudakov appeared between the lines, and the team as a whole closed the central areas very well whenever possession was lost.
And yet, as so often happens with Real Madrid, one moment of clarity was enough. In the 30th minute, in one of their rare organized attacks, Raúl Asensio delivered a quality cross and Mbappé, clinical, attacked the space in front of Dedić and headed in. A punch to the stomach in a game Benfica were dominating.
The response was immediate and emotional. If Benfica were already playing with their heart outside their chest, from that moment on they played with anger. In the 36th minute, Pavlidis perfectly exploited Asensio’s gross error, crossed without pressure and Schjelderup arrived at the right time to equalize, with Courtois left looking bad on the play.
Barreiro had a clear chance inside the six yard box, Pavlidis and Prestianni kept creating, Dedić constantly appeared behind Madrid’s defensive line. Benfica could, without exaggeration, have gone into halftime with four or five goals. Instead, they went in leading 2-1 thanks to a clear penalty, confirmed by VAR, calmly converted down the middle by Pavlidis.
The halftime numbers were almost surreal: 2.42 xG for Benfica against 0.35 for Real Madrid. More shots, more danger, more football. Real had the ball, but Benfica had the game.
In the second half, a more structured reaction from Real Madrid was expected. It did begin to appear and straight away, in the 47th minute, Vini Jr wasted a clear headed chance. It was a warning. But Benfica read the moment well. They dropped the block slightly, compacted their lines and started to rely on counter attacks. And they were lethal. In the 53rd minute, Schjelderup was decisive again. He received on the left, entered the box, cut inside and shot to the near post. Asensio tried to block, failed again, and the ball went in. 3-1. Absolute delirium at the Luz.
Even so, Real Madrid never die. They have Mbappé. And when you have Mbappé, one detail is enough. In the 58th minute, Güler created space where none seemed to exist, beat two players, crossed with intent, Bellingham cleared the zone with his body and Mbappé finished unmarked. His second of the night, his 13th in this Champions League. Pure quality in a game where Real were uncomfortable almost throughout.
From there, the match entered a phase of physical and mental exhaustion. Benfica were still winning, but legs began to feel heavy. And here came one of the night’s major criticisms: Mourinho’s inertia. By the 80th minute, not a single substitution. In a game of such high intensity, that is almost suicidal. Real Madrid began to smell an equalizer.
The red cards for Raúl Asensio and Rodrygo, both for accumulated yellow cards, left Real with nine men. Benfica understood that winning was not enough, they needed one more goal. The Luz pushed, aerial balls became a weapon, and in the 90+7 minute the most surreal moment of the night arrived. A free kick into the box, chaos, and Trubin, the goalkeeper, appeared like a striker and headed the ball into the net. A goalkeeper scoring in a Champions League match to save his team. It is movie script material.
Post-match
This was one of those games that go straight into the club’s collective memory. Not because of perfection, but because of courage. Benfica played and ran over a Real Madrid full of stars but empty of control.
Schjelderup was immense, Pavlidis was tireless, Sudakov gave clarity, and the team as a whole gave itself in a way not seen for a long time. Even with defensive flaws and moments of naivety, Benfica never stopped believing.
On the Real Madrid side, Mbappé came out enhanced: two goals and constant danger. Both teams move on to the Playoffs. Tonight, the story belonged entirely to the Luz, and nights like this explain why the Champions League is not just football.