Manchester City qualified for the Champions League knockout stages, jumping into the top eight at Real Madrid’s expense after they lost at Benfica, who scored deep into stoppage time
Pep Guardiola promised to thank Jose Mourinho after his old rival helped Manchester City squeeze into the Champions League knockout stages.
City did their job by beating Galatasaray 2-0 at the Etihad, thanks to goals from Erling Haaland and Ryan Cherki. But City’s place in the top eight hung in the balance, with Real Madrid needing to score an equaliser at Benfica to send Guardiola’s man into the play-offs instead.
Until Benfica’s goalkeeper Anatoliy Trubin rode to the rescue with a stunning late goal to seal a 4-2 win for Mourinho’s Benfica. The goal was enough to keep Benfica in the competition.
And Guardiola admitted he was watching events unfold with his players in the dressing room and couldn’t understand why Mourinho had told Trubin to go up for the late free kick.
When asked if he would be contacting Mourinho to say thanks, Guardiola said: “Yeah of course. We were all there (in the dressing room), and we didn’t know Benfica need a goal to qualify.
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“So when their goalkeeper goes up, we said, ‘why you go’? But it was a good strategy for Jose. Finishing in the top eight, considering how the Champions League has become, every team is really really tough, so we are really pleased. Hopefully we can arrive in March in our best form.”
Bernardo Silva admitted it was crucial City avoided two extra play-off games, to boost their chances of remaining on course for a quadruple. He said: “With a bit of drama, we did it. Overall we’re very happy because we avoid two games.
“With the schedule, with the amount of injuries we have at the minute, to have those two full weeks to prepare the team, to recover some players, to focus on other competitions for now is going to be really good.”
Mourinho, a two-time winner in this tournament, felt his side were deserving of extending their Champions League campaign. “A fantastic goal, a historic goal, a goal that nearly brought the whole stadium down – and I think it was very deserved for us,” he said. “For Benfica it’s an incredible prestige to beat Real Madrid.”
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