Mourinho’s Benfica send Real Madrid into Champions League playoffs alongside PSG; Barcelona reach top eight

Real Madrid dropped into the Champions League knockout playoffs after losing 4-2 at Benfica on Wednesday, finishing ninth in the 36-team league standings. Despite scoring twice through Kylian Mbappé, Madrid slipped out of the top eight and missed direct qualification to the round of 16.Benfica secured the final playoff spot in 24th place on goal difference after scoring in the eighth minute of stoppage time. Goalkeeper Anatoliy Trubin scored with a header after Madrid had been reduced to nine players following red cards for Raul Asencio and Rodrygo. Benfica’s progress eliminated Marseille, which fell to 25th after a 3-0 loss at Club Brugge. “This victory is historic and important," Mourinho said, adding of his goalkeeper: "We knew that he could do it. You have to put the ball there, but it’s an amazing goal for the guy.”Trubin said it was a “crazy moment. I’m not used to scoring. I’m 24 years old and it’s the first time.”Madrid fell to ninth place after Sporting Lisbon scored in stoppage time to win 3-2 at Athletic Bilbao. “They have outplayed us," Real Madrid coach Álvaro Arbeloa said of Benfica. "We’ve been far from the version we should be.”Sporting finished in the top eight, along with Liverpool, Tottenham, Barcelona, Chelsea and Manchester City. Arsenal and Bayern Munich had already secured first and second place, respectively, and advanced directly to the round of 16, which begins in March.PSG miss top eightParis Saint-Germain also dropped into the playoff positions after drawing 1-1 at home with Newcastle. Both teams began the day in the top eight but finished 11th and 12th. PSG missed an early chance when Ousmane Dembélé’s first-minute penalty was saved by Nick Pope. Madrid, PSG, Newcastle and Inter Milan will be included in Friday’s playoff draw for teams placed ninth through 24th. PSG advanced through the playoff round last season on its way to the later stages of the competition.“We don’t have to think about it too much,” said Vitinha, who gave PSG an eighth-minute lead. “We had the same problem last year, and then out of nowhere things changed and the ball started to go in.”Another Mourinho vs. Madrid meeting?The playoff bracket allows the ninth-place team, Madrid, to be drawn only against the teams finishing 23rd or 24th: Bodo/Glimt or Benfica.If Madrid not paired with Benfica, Mourinho’s team would face Inter Milan, whom he coached to the Champions League title in 2010.Bodo/Glimt go throughBodo/Glimt secured 23rd place by winning 2-1 at Atletico Madrid, earning its first advancement to the knockout phase. Other teams qualifying for the playoffs include Qarabag, Club Brugge, Galatasaray, Olympiakos, Juventus and Atalanta.Napoli were eliminated after finishing 30th, following a 3-2 home loss to Chelsea.Barcelona move into top eightBarcelona secured a top-eight finish after coming from behind to beat Copenhagen 4-1. At halftime, Barcelona and Chelsea were both outside the top eight. Copenhagen had taken the lead through 17-year-old Viktor Dadason. Barcelona flipped the game by scoring four second-half goals through Robert Lewandowski, Lamine Yamal, Raphinha and Marcus Rashford