The Da Luz stadium in Lisbon witnessed a rare Champions League moment on the evening of 28/1. In the 98th minute, the final play of the match, Trubin left his Benfica goal to join the attack. From a Fredrik Aursnes free-kick, the Ukrainian goalkeeper executed a diagonal header, beating Thibaut Courtois. All Benfica members ran onto the pitch to celebrate wildly with Trubin, and Da Luz erupted in emotion.

This decisive goal allowed Benfica, who were facing immediate group stage elimination, to secure a spot in the Champions League round of 16 playoffs.

Anatoliy Trubin leaps high to head the ball into the net...

Then slides on the grass to celebrate, during Benfica's 4-2 victory over Real Madrid in the final group stage match of the Champions League at Da Luz stadium, Lisbon, Portugal on 28/1/2026. Photo: AFP

Trubin's ecstatic moment quickly resonated across international media. NBC Sports questioned, "Is this the greatest goalkeeper goal in history?".

In Spain, Marca compared the atmosphere at Da Luz to central defender Sergio Ramos' 93rd-minute goal against Atletico Madrid in the 2014 Champions League final. The newspaper wrote, "Madness returned to the stadium, but this time with a cruel ending for Real Madrid. Not even the best film director could have imagined this scenario."

Marca emphasized coach Mourinho's instruction for the goalkeeper to push forward as Benfica faced elimination. "Trubin rushed into the chaotic area, where the ball descended from above, and executed a perfect header more than three minutes into added time," the newspaper described.

On social media, commentators and sports journalists also expressed their astonishment. Commentator Ian Darke wrote, "Jose Mourinho once again showed why he is 'the Special One'. Pushing the goalkeeper up to score in the 98th minute against Real Madrid – what a great drama."

Journalist Mark Lomas exclaimed, "What did I just witness in Lisbon? The last touch of the Champions League group stage, the Benfica goalkeeper sends Mourinho's team through. Crazy scenes at Da Luz."

After the match, Trubin admitted he still hadn't fully processed what happened. "Before that, I didn't even realize we needed a goal. My teammates kept saying 'one, one', and I asked 'what?'. Then I saw everyone gesturing for me to go forward, and I looked at coach Mourinho, so I went into the box and I don't know," the Ukrainian goalkeeper recounted.

"It was a crazy moment. I had a similar situation against Porto before but didn't score. This time it worked. I am 24 years old, and this is my first career goal. It's unbelievable," Trubin added.

Analyzing the match more calmly, Trubin assessed that Benfica played fearlessly against Europe's most decorated club. "Real has 15 Champions League titles, but we had no other choice but to win. We are Benfica, we play to win. They have excellent players, perhaps the best, but as a collective, we succeeded," the 24-year-old goalkeeper stated.

The victory over Real also held historical significance for Mourinho. This was the first time the Portuguese coach had defeated his former club in his managerial career.

This result also opens up the possibility of the two teams meeting again in the playoff round, with a 50% probability according to BBC Sport calculations. Otherwise, Real will face Bodo/Glimt, and Benfica will play Inter – another of Mourinho's former teams.

Trubin, born in 2001, developed through the Shakhtar Donetsk academy. He was promoted to the first team after five years and became the starting goalkeeper in 2020 at just 17 years old. With Shakhtar, Trubin helped the club win three Ukrainian Premier League titles and one national cup before moving to Benfica in 2023. At the national team level, he played for Ukraine's youth teams, was called up to the senior national team in March 2021, and participated in Euro 2020 and Euro 2024.

Hong Duy compiled