CHAMPIONS LEAGUE UPDATE

By: Gyang Dakwo

The drama of Matchday 8 was saved for the final kick of the opening phase of the 2025 to 2026 Champions League, and it came stunningly on Wednesday night.

Benfica were leading 9-man Real Madrid 3 to 2 and needed one more goal to improve their goal difference over Marseille and Pafos. In the 98th minute, goalkeeper Anatoliy Trubin rose to meet a free kick and headed the ball into the net. The goal sent Benfica into the February playoffs and sealed a dramatic end to the league phase.

The defeat also affected Real Madrid. The Spanish side finished 9th on the table and will now play in next month two legged playoffs as a seeded team instead of going straight to the Round of 16.

Eight teams have already booked their places in March and will not play in February. Arsenal, Bayern Munich, Liverpool, Tottenham, Barcelona, Chelsea, Sporting, and Manchester City all qualified automatically for the Round of 16 after strong league phase performances.

Arsenal finished top of the table after a 3- 2 win over Kairat Almaty. They ended the phase with 8 wins from 8 matches. Viktor Gyokeres scored after 2 minutes, and Kai Havertz helped restore the lead 15 minutes into the game. Havertz marked his return to the starting lineup with a fine goal after almost a year away.

Bayern Munich finished second and secured the spot with a 2- 1 win over PSV. Harry Kane came off the bench and scored the winning goal in the 84th minute, which was his 35th goal of the season.

The seeded teams for the February playoffs include Real Madrid, Inter Milan, Paris Saint-Germain, Newcastle, Juventus, Atletico Madrid, Atalanta, and Bayer Leverkusen.

The unseeded teams moving on are Borussia Dortmund, Olympiacos, Club Brugge, Galatasaray, Monaco, Qarabag, Bodo Glimt, and Benfica.

For 12 clubs, Wednesday marked the end of the road in Europe. Marseille, Pafos, Union Saint Gilloise, PSV, Athletic Club, Napoli, Copenhagen, Ajax, Eintracht Frankfurt, Slavia Prague, Villarreal, and Kairat were all eliminated.

The draw for the February playoffs will be held on Friday, January 30, 2026, and it will set the final path to the Round of 16 in Europe’s top club competition.