Goalkeeper Anatoliy Trubin scored a 98th-minute header as Benfica defeated Real Madrid 4-2 to secure a Champions League knockout place on Wednesday and deny their opponents an automatic spot in the last 16.
Benfica were heading out despite leading 3-2 with seconds of stoppage time remaining before Trubin met a free-kick to score the goal they needed to get into the playoff round on goal difference.
Madrid had hoped to finish in the top eight and go straight into the last 16, but their 15 points from eight games was not enough and they finished the match with nine men as Raúl Asencio and Rodrygo were sent off.
Andreas Schjelderup scored two goals for Benfica and Vangelis Pavlidis netted from the penalty spot, while Kylian Mbappé netted twice for Real in a hugely entertaining, end-to-end contest.
Trubin’s late goal meant Marseille slipped out of 24th spot and exit the competition after their 3-0 defeat against Club Brugge, a result that lifted the Belgian side into the playoff positions.

Barcelona stormed back in the second half to claim a 4-1 victory over Copenhagen at the Camp Nou on Wednesday, sealing a top-eight finish and direct qualification for the last 16.
Goals from Robert Lewandowski, Lamine Yamal, Raphinha and Marcus Rashford ensured the Catalans finished fifth in the standings on 16 points.
Copenhagen shocked the hosts early when 17-year-old Viktor Dadason slotted the opener past Joan García in the fourth minute but the second half began with a Barcelona fight back.
Lamine Yamal set up Lewandowski to equalise in the 48th minute, before scoring himself in the 60th with a deflected effort that left Copenhagen keeper Dominik Kotarski helpless. Raphinha made it 3-1 from the penalty spot after Lewandowski was fouled, and Rashford added a fourth with a free kick in the 85th minute.
Sporting Lisbon twice came from behind before Alisson Santos netted an added-time winner as they beat Athletic Bilbao 3-2 away to reach the last 16 of after a frenetic final group game on Wednesday.
Sporting needed a win to give themselves a chance of a top-eight spot, but Oihan Sancet got the home side off to a perfect start with a third-minute goal. The visitors levelled nine minutes later through Ousmane Diomande’s unstoppable header from Maximiliano Araujo’s corner.

Sporting went behind again after 28 minutes when Gorka Guruzeta fired home but the Portuguese side refused to lie down and equalised once more through a brilliantly-worked move, Francisco Trincão slicing through the middle and steering the ball past goalkeeper Unai Simon.
Sporting looked set for the playoffs until they broke deep into second-half stoppage time and though Luis Suárez had his shot blocked by Simon, Santos followed up and rifled the ball home to see his side safely through.
Norwegian side Bodo/Glimt staged a remarkable comeback to defeat Atletico Madrid 2-1 away from home, securing their place in the competition’s knockout stage.
Alexander Sorloth put the hosts ahead in the 15th minute, meeting David Hancko’s pinpoint cross with a powerful header but the visitors responded in the 34th minute when Fredrik Bjarko assisted Fredrik Sjovold to level.
The decisive moment came in the second half when Kasper Høgh latched onto a loose ball in the 59th minute, striking from close range to silence the home crowd. Atlético pushed for an equaliser but they were unable to pierce the Norwegian defence.

Internazionale scored twice late in the game to earn a 2-0 victory over hosts Borussia Dortmund but it was not enough for a top-eight finish, with both teams going into February’s playoffs for a spot in the knockout stage.
Federico Dimarco curled in a sublime free kick in the 81st minute before Andy Diouf added another goal in stoppage time to snap Inter’s three-game losing run in the competition.
Harry Kane came off the bench to score an 84th-minute winner for Bayern Munich as they edged PSV Eindhoven 2-1 away on Wednesday to finish second in the group phase and end their Dutch hosts’ hopes of continuing in the competition.
Olympiakos grabbed a playoff spot with a 2-1 win away at Ajax, Santiago Hezze’s 79th-minute goal proving the winner.
Monaco and Juventus played out a low-key 0-0 draw in the Principality on Wednesday in their final Champions League match of the league stage, a cautious game that was still enough to send both sides through to the playoffs for a place in the knockout phase.
Atalanta had to settle for a playoff spot after a 1-0 defeat at Union Saint-Gilloise, Bayer Leverkusen finished 16th after thumping Villarreal 3-0 and Cypriot side Pafos ended a creditable campaign with their second victory, a 4-1 win over Slavia Prague.

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