After a stunning defeat, Real Madrid must immediately face Benfica again in a high-stakes playoff, while PSG and Cinderella side Bodo/Glimt also navigate a perilous path.
The Champions League draw has served up a dramatic and immediate chance for revenge. Just days after a shocking defeat, Real Madrid learned they must face Benfica again in a two-legged playoff to keep their European campaign alive.
The draw on Friday sets the stage for a tantalizing rematch after Benfica’s 4-2 victory over the 15-time champions on Wednesday. That final-day upset denied Madrid direct qualification to the round of 16, consigning them to the uncertainty of the playoffs.
The result was sealed in heart-stopping fashion. Leading 3-2 in stoppage time, Benfica needed one more goal to leap into the playoff spots. In the eighth minute of added time, Ukrainian goalkeeper Anatoliy Trubin rose to head home the crucial goal, sending his team through and plunging Madrid out of the top eight.
Now, former Madrid coach José Mourinho will return to the Bernabéu with his Benfica side, looking to deepen the crisis at his old club. Madrid, having recently parted ways with coach Xabi Alonso, will turn to interim boss Álvaro Arbeloa to salvage their season against the two-time Champions League winner.
They are not the only giants on a perilous path. Defending champions Paris Saint-Germain, who famously triumphed via the playoffs last season, must do it again in an all-French clash with Monaco. Despite a gulf of 21 points between them in Ligue 1, PSG’s title defense faces a stern first hurdle.
The draw also produced a classic European fairy tale meeting. Debutants Bodo/Glimt, the tiny Norwegian club that stunned everyone by beating Manchester City and Atlético Madrid in the group stage, will face last season’s beaten finalists, Inter Milan. The Cinderella story of the competition now presents a major threat to the Italian giants’ hopes of progressing.
Key Champions League Playoff Draws:
- Benfica vs. Real Madrid
- Bodo/Glimt vs. Inter Milan
- Monaco vs. Paris Saint-Germain
- Borussia Dortmund vs. Atalanta
Europa League Spotlight:
In the Europa League playoff draw, Nottingham Forest will make an early trip to Istanbul—host city of this season’s final—to face Turkish powerhouse Fenerbahçe. Scottish champions Celtic will take on Germany’s Stuttgart.
The first legs of the Champions League playoffs are set for February 17-18, with the decisive return legs a week later. For Real Madrid and others, their season’s ambitions now hinge on navigating this treacherous knockout round.
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