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Get to Know 2025/26 UEFA Champions League Matchday 8 Highlights & Results


Thu 29 Jan 2026 | 03:50 AM
Rana Atef

The league phase of the 2025/2026 UEFA Champions League came to a breathtaking conclusion on Wednesday night, as all 36 clubs kicked off simultaneously in a final matchday that delivered relentless drama, late twists, and one of the most chaotic evenings in the competition’s modern history.

With automatic qualification, playoff places, and elimination all hanging in the balance, the standings shifted almost minute by minute. 

By the end of the night, European heavyweights had been dragged into the playoff round, historic clubs were eliminated, and Benfica produced one of the most astonishing finales the Champions League has ever seen.

Benfica Steal the Spotlight

The defining story of Matchday 8 unfolded in Lisbon. 

Benfica, needing a win and help from elsewhere, stunned Real Madrid 4–2 in a wild encounter at the Estádio da Luz.

Despite Kylian Mbappé scoring twice and setting a new Champions League record with his 12th goal of the campaign, Real were undone by Benfica’s relentless pressure.

The moment that will live long in Champions League folklore arrived deep into stoppage time, when Benfica goalkeeper Anatoliy Trubin surged forward and scored a dramatic late goal, sealing victory and catapulting the Portuguese side into the playoff places at the very last gasp. 

That goal pushed Marseille out of the top 24 on goal difference and completed a stunning turnaround for a Benfica side that had started the night on the brink of elimination.

Heavyweights Miss the Top Eight

Elsewhere, the shockwaves continued. 

Real Madrid, Paris Saint-Germain, and Inter Milan all failed to finish in the top eight, condemning them to the playoff round despite high expectations at the start of the season.

Inter did their part with a 2–0 win away to Borussia Dortmund, but Sporting’s dramatic 3–2 victory over Athletic Club, sealed by a late Alisson Santos goal, reshuffled the table and knocked the Italian side out of the automatic qualification places.

PSG and Newcastle played out a tense 1–1 draw in Paris, a result that left both clubs short of a top-eight finish and facing an extra knockout hurdle.

Top Eight: Directly Qualified for the Round of 16

After eight matchdays, the teams finishing in the top eight and advancing directly to the round of 16 are:

Arsenal 

Bayern Munich

Chelsea

Sporting CP

Liverpool

Barcelona

Manchester City

Tottenham Hotspur

These sides avoided the playoff round and will enter the knockout phase in March with a significant advantage.

Playoff Teams: Blockbuster Clashes Await

Teams finishing between ninth and 24th will now contest a two-legged playoff in February for a place in the round of 16. 

The lineup is packed with elite names, ensuring heavyweight clashes unusually early in the competition:

Benfica

Real Madrid

Inter Milan

Paris Saint-Germain

Newcastle United

Juventus

Atletico Madrid

Atalanta

Bayer Leverkusen

Borussia Dortmund

Olympiacos

Club Brugge

Galatasaray

Monaco

Qarabag

Bodø/Glimt

The playoff draw takes place on Friday, with the first legs scheduled for mid-February.

Eliminated: European Dreams End

For several clubs, Wednesday night marked the end of their European journey. Napoli’s 3–2 home defeat to Chelsea proved fatal, ending a remarkable run that had seen them qualify from every Champions League group phase in recent history. 

Marseille were cruelly eliminated on goal difference, victims of Benfica’s late surge, while others such as Slavia Prague and additional lower-ranked sides finished outside the top 24 and bowed out of the competition.

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