In the end, it was Benfica keeper Anatoliy Trubin scoring in the 98th minute against Real Madrid that finally decided the make up of the Champions League knockouts on a night that delivered high-drama, roller-coaster action and vindication for UEFA.
At the Etihad Stadium, Manchester City fans were glued to their phones, knowing a late Madrid goal would have shoved City out of the top eight places and into the playoff mire.
By the same token, Benfica were heading out of the competition altogether until that final goal in a 4-2 win saw them sneak into the playoffs and ended Madrid’s hopes of an equaliser that would have sent them directly into the last 16.
When UEFA scrapped the traditional Champions League group stage in favour of a single 36-team league phase from the 2024-25 season, sceptics wondered whether Europe’s elite competition might lose some of its identity.
Instead, as the eighth and final round of fixtures concluded on Wednesday, the new system proved compelling — built for drama that delivered exactly what it promised.
Matchday eight, staged with all 18 fixtures kicking off simultaneously, became the purest stress test yet of this redesigned competition.
It showcased the benefits of a structure that punishes drift and keeps meaningful stakes alive for far more teams than before.
Sixty-one goals, a table resembling a football stock market that never stood still, and drama at every turn, capped by a goalkeeper rising for the final telling touch of the league phase to keep his team alive.
GOALKEEPER TRUBIN’S ASTONISHING LAST-GASP HEADER
Trubin’s astonishing stoppage-time header in Lisbon locked the standings in place and perfectly captured the breathtaking drama of the final night of the league phase.
Benfica squeezed into the playoff round and knocked out Olympique de Marseille with seconds to go.
After starting the day third, Real Madrid tumbled out of the top eight when Sporting got a stoppage-time goal in a 3-2 win at Athletic Bilbao.
It felt a far cry from the old system, which featured eight separate groups of four teams, when the final two rounds of fixtures involved numerous dead rubbers and far less jeopardy for the big sides.
City boss Pep Guardiola said he planned to thank old rival and Benfica manager Jose Mourinho for doing his side a huge favour.
“We were all there (in the dressing room), and we didn’t know Benfica needed a goal to qualify,” Guardiola said after City’s 2-0 win over Galatasaray.
“So when their goalkeeper goes up, we said, ‘Why you go?’ But it was a good strategy for Jose.
“I like the new (Champions League) format,” he added. “I don’t like that there’s more games but I like it, every game is like a final.”
UEFA’s Deputy Secretary General Giorgio Marchetti said the new format provided more equity and inclusion with clubs from smaller nations bringing a more dynamic and diverse competition.
The new configuration, he said, throws up the spice of uncertainty.
“The new format offers more dynamism and offers up and downs as teams move through the 36-team table which leads to a massive climax on matchday eight as teams strive to secure a top-eight or top-24 placing when stakes are at their highest,” Marchetti said earlier this season.
The 16 teams that have qualified for the playoff round will find out their opponents on Friday.
