THE Champions League was full of drama last night as the league phase drew to a close.
And arguably the biggest moment of the night came during Benfica vs Real Madrid.
Jose Mourinho came up against his former side knowing there were no guarantees that he could steer his Benfica side into the play-off places.
But Marseille fell to a 3-0 defeat against Club Brugge, meaning if Benfica were to beat Los Blancos by two goals, they would sneak into the play-off spots.
The Portuguese side found themselves 3-2 up deep into added time, and decided to send the goalkeeper up for a last gasp set-piece as they chased that illusive goal to secure qualification.
And Ukrainian stopper Anatoliy Trubin rose above the rest to head past his fellow keeper Thibaut Courtois, in what was the last act of the game.
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This sent the TNT Goals Show studio into frenzy, with Rangers icons Ally McCoist and Steven Gerrard on the panel alongside Joe Cole.
The ex-Ibrox pair looked as though they didn’t know what to do with themselves after the last minute drama, with Gerrard even exclaiming “just finish the show there!”
The duo couldn’t help but look and laugh at one another as the drama unfolded and all the ramifications were laid out.
Not only did the late drama propel Benfica into the play-offs, but it also dumped Real Madrid out of the top eight, and therefore forced the Spanish giants also out of the automatic qualification places.
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To further add to the drama, Mourinho only found out seconds before the free kick was taken that his side needed one more goal, prompting the decision to send the keeper forward.
He said after the match: “When I was told we needed one more goal, honestly I was upset. I was thinking, ‘Why was I not told a few seconds before?’
“When we realised it wasn’t enough and they were down to ten men, I sent Nico [Otamendi] to play up front.
“When the foul came, I sent Trubin forward and Dahl to stay in midfield. The little guy stayed back here.”
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