Trubin’s epic header ignites Champions League phase chaos

Arsenal have dominated the new Champions League league phase, finishing top with a perfect record, while Bayern, Liverpool, Tottenham, Barcelona, Chelsea, Sporting CP and Manchester City complete the seeded top eight.

The first eight have underlined the Premier League’s strength, with four English clubs seeded for the round of 16.

• Arsenal: 8 wins, 0 draws, 0 losses, 23 goals for and 4 against, 24 points.
• Bayern Munich: 7 wins, 1 loss, 22 goals for and 8 against, 21 points.​
• Liverpool: 6 wins, 2 losses, 20 goals for and 8 against, 18 points.​
• Tottenham Hotspur: 5 wins, 2 draws, 1 loss, 17 goals for and 7 against, 17 points.​
• Barcelona, Chelsea, Sporting CP and Manchester City all finish on 16 points, securing direct passage to the last 16.

Surprise packages

Bodø/Glimt emerged as a major story, they climbed to 23rd place overall. Secured knockout play-offs with 2 wins, 3 draws and 3 losses in eight games. Their highlight was a stunning away win at Atlético Madrid on the final day. It transformed a likely early exit into historic qualification.

Qarabağ proved equally remarkable. They finished 22nd with 10 points despite a negative goal difference. Even took a heavy 6-0 loss at Liverpool on matchday eight. Key moments included a shock victory at Benfica on matchday one. Plus a dramatic late comeback against Eintracht Frankfurt that locked in their top-24 finish.

Biggest disappointments

Several traditional names have fallen short of expectations in this first full league phase. Napoli, PSV, Athletic Club and Copenhagen all slipped outside the top‑24, missing even the play‑offs despite competitive squads and recent European experience.

Even more striking, Marseille, Pafos and Union Saint‑Gilloise finished level on 9 points with Benfica but lost out on goal difference and tiebreakers, paying the price for heavy defeats late in the phase. At the bottom, Villarreal and Kairat ended with just a single point each from eight games, a drastic drop‑off from Villarreal’s recent pedigree in European knockout rounds.

Real Madrid–Benfica thriller

The most dramatic night of all came in Lisbon, where Real Madrid and Benfica played out a wild 4‑2 that rewrote the table in stoppage time. Kylian Mbappé scored twice for Madrid, but Benfica twice responded through Andreas Schjelderup and a Vangelis Pavlidis penalty to lead 3‑2 going into the dying seconds.

With Benfica still outside the top 24 on goal difference, goalkeeper Anatoliy Trubin went forward for a last free kick and powered in a 98th‑minute header, a heroic goal that pushed Benfica up to 24th and into the play‑offs. The goal also reshaped the race around the cut‑off line, knocking Marseille out and leaving Real Madrid in ninth place, forced into the knockout play‑offs instead of going straight to the last 16.

Arsenal’s perfect league phase

Arsenal have produced a near‑flawless campaign, winning all eight matches in the league phase and finishing with the best attack and defence combined among the 36 teams. Their 23 goals scored and only 4 conceded reflect a side in complete control across different styles of opponent, from top‑seed clashes to tricky away trips. Could this be Arsenal’s year?