Real Madrid news

So there we have it! After a mammoth 144 games that included plenty of goals and drama, the curtain has been drawn on the league phase of the 2025-26 Champions League. Arsenal finished top of the table with a perfect record, while Manchester City secured automatic qualification to the round of 16 by the skin of their teeth. But three historic European giants have been eliminated already, in the form of Napoli, Marseille and Ajax.

Kylian Mbappe has seen a Premier League move speculated on for some time, and fellow Frenchman Bacary Sagna has told GOAL why Arsenal could be the perfect landing spot if ties are ever severed with Real Madrid. Mbappe is living his professional dream in Spain for now, but a day might come in which he fancies packing his bags for the English top-flight.

Pep Guardiola has announced that he will be sending a thank you message to former Clasico rival Jose Mourinho. Two highly-decorated coaches once found themselves operating on opposing sides of the fierce divide that separates Barcelona and Real Madrid. They are now at Manchester City and Benfica respectively, with Champions League progress being enjoyed in 2025-26.

The Champions League league phase drew to a predictably chaotic conclusion on Wednesday, with all of the matchday eight fixtures kicking-off at the same time. The net result was numerous positional changes over the course of 90-plus minutes of madness, though the highlight was undoubtedly Anatoliy Trubin scoring a last-second header to keep Benfica in the competition.

Jose Mourinho admits he was initially unaware that Benfica required a fourth goal against Real Madrid in order to reach the Champions League play-offs, before seeing goalkeeper Anatoliy Trubin score in the 98th minute. Mourinho has also revealed that he apologised to Blancos boss Alvaro Arbeloa for his wild celebrations that accompanied a dramatic header.

Fans have been left in disbelief after Anatoliy Trubin scored a sensational 98th-minute header to keep Benfica in the Champions League. The goalkeeper was sent up for a last-gasp free-kick against nine-man Real Madrid by head coach Jose Mourinho and, amazingly, powered a stunning header beyond Thibaut Courtois and into the bottom corner.

Benfica goalkeeper Anatoliy Trubin scored a remarkable 98th-minute goal to send Jose Mourinho's side into the Champions League playoffs after beating Real Madrid 4-2. The Portuguese giants were heading out of the competition on goal difference but the keeper's last-gasp effort sparked wild celebrations at Estadio da Luz on Wednesday. The result also meant nine-man Los Blancos face a two-legged playoff in February.

An improbable Anatoliy Trubin header in second-half stoppage time capped off a remarkable 4-2 win for Benfica over a listless Real Madrid on Wednesday. Los Blancos had no answers for the Portuguese side and were thoroughly beaten on the road, meaning Alvaro Arbeloa's side will now face a play-off to secure a place in the Champions League last-16.

We’ve got three Benfica vs Real Madrid predictions for this Matchday 8 showdown in the Champions League on Wednesday, 28 January.

Real Madrid president Florentino Perez reportedly held crunch personal talks with Jude Bellingham and four other stars to demand an immediate change in attitude following the dismissal of Xabi Alonso. The intervention from the Bernabeu chief is credited with sparking the club's recent revival under Alvaro Arbeloa, with key figures now accepting roles they previously complained about to save their season.

Jose Mourinho has bluntly dismissed questions regarding the 'Negreira case' and Barcelona’s alleged payments to referees, insisting he has no interest in dwelling on the past. The Benfica head coach was speaking ahead of a crucial Champions League showdown against his former club Real Madrid in Lisbon, where he also took the opportunity to pay an emotional tribute to former defender Alvaro Arbeloa and discuss the threat posed by the Spanish giants.

How to watch the Champions League match between Benfica and Real Madrid, as well as kick-off time and team news.

New Real Madrid manager Alvaro Arbeloa has publicly admitted he had to tell the Jude Bellingham to "stop running" in training. The former Los Blancos defender, who took over the first-team job recently, expressed his astonishment at Bellingham's boundless stamina - but has urged his star midfielder to conserve his energy.