The Champions League opening round ended in stunning fashion as Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) were forced into the qualifying playoffs.
Real Madrid, coached in the past by José Mourinho, lost 4-2 to Mourinho’s Benfica.
Despite two goals from Kylian Mbappé, Madrid dropped from third to ninth in the standings, missing automatic qualification.
Benfica advanced in 24th place thanks to goalkeeper Anatoliy Trubin, who scored a stunning fashion header in the eighth minute of stoppage time.
Madrid had been reduced to nine men after red cards for Raul Asencio and Rodrygo.
Madrid’s fate was sealed when Sporting Lisbon scored late to beat Athletic Bilbao 3-2.
Sporting joined Liverpool (6-0 winners over Qarabag), Tottenham, Barcelona, Chelsea, and Manchester City in the top eight.
Arsenal finished first with a perfect record after beating Kairat Almaty 3-2, while Bayern Munich secured second place.
PSG and Newcastle, both in the top eight before the final round, drew 1-1 in Paris.
The result pushed them down to 11th and 12th, sending them into the playoffs alongside Madrid and last year’s finalist Inter Milan.
The playoff draw will include teams ranked 9th to 24th: Madrid, PSG, Newcastle, Inter Milan, Benfica, Juventus, Atalanta, Qarabag, Brugge, Galatasaray, Olympiakos, and others.
PSG faced the same route last season, playing extra games before eventually winning their first European title.
Norwegian side Bodo/Glimt qualified in 23rd place after beating Atletico Madrid 2-1, boosted by their earlier win against Manchester City.
Benfica’s late heroics eliminated Marseille, who fell to 25th after losing 3-0 at Club Brugge.
Italian champion Napoli was knocked out in 30th place following a 3-2 home defeat to Chelsea.
