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01/28 16:14 CST Real Madrid dropped by Mourinho's Benfica into Champions League
playoffs round alongside PSG
Real Madrid dropped by Mourinho's Benfica into Champions League playoffs round
alongside PSG
By GRAHAM DUNBAR
AP Sports Writer
Real Madrid was stunningly dumped into the qualifying playoffs of the Champions
League by its former coach Jose Mourinho on Wednesday and will be joined there
by Paris Saint-Germain.
Madrid started play third in the 36-team standings and despite two goals by
Kylian Mbapp lost 4-2 at Benfica and fell to ninth --- one place below
advancing direct to the round of 16.
Astonishingly, Benfica only advanced to the knockout phase in 24th place on
goal difference because goalkeeper Anatoliy Trubin scored in the eighth minute
of stoppage time with a dramatic header when Madrid was down to nine players
after two red cards.
Madrid fell out of the top-eight places when Sporting Lisbon got a
stoppage-time goal in a 3-2 win at Athletic Bilbao.
Sporting joined Liverpool, Tottenham, Barcelona, Chelsea and Manchester City in
sealing top-eight finishes. Table-topping Arsenal and second-place Bayern
Munich had already advanced.
PSG and Newcastle both started in the top eight but drew 1-1 in Paris which
sent both falling in the standings to 11th and 12th.
Madrid, PSG, Newcastle and last year's beaten finalist Inter Milan all will be
in the qualifying playoffs draw Friday for teams that placed ninth through 24th.
___
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
