Kylian Mbappé did not mince his words after Real Madrid’s defeat against Benfica in the Champions League. Anatoliy Trubin’s goal humiliated Los Blancos, according to the Frenchman, who after Wednesday night has become the player with the most goals ever in the Champions League group stage.
Benfica beat Real Madrid 4-2 in Lisbon, and the night ended in the most unlikely way possible, with goalkeeper Anatoliy Trubin scoring in stoppage time to put a final stamp on a result that already felt damaging for the Spanish giants.
For Real Madrid, the defeat carried consequences beyond the scoreline. The loss left them ninth in the Champions League league phase, which means they do not go straight into the next round and instead must play a playoff tie to reach the knockout stage. In a competition where margins are often measured in one moment or one decision, finishing just outside the automatic places changes everything: the calendar becomes tighter, the risk of an early exit increases, and there is less room to manage minutes for key players.
Kylian Mbappe, despite scoring twice, was brutally honest in his assessment of what happened in Lisbon. He described the late Trubin goal as a humiliation for Real Madrid, not because it changed the outcome, but because it added an extra layer of embarrassment to a performance that already fell short. In his view, ninth place was not bad luck or a freak outcome, but a position the team earned through what they showed across the league phase.
Mbappe also tried to pinpoint the core issue, and he did not hide behind technical explanations. He argued that the problem was not quality or tactics. Instead, he framed it as a question of mindset and desire, saying that Benfica showed more will to win, while Real Madrid did not match that level. For a club built on European nights and on the idea that it can always find a way, that accusation cuts deep. It suggests a failure of identity more than a failure of execution.
Benfica, on the other hand, will see the match as a statement. A 4-2 win against Real Madrid is a headline in any season, but doing it at home in front of their own fans, and doing it with the final act coming from the goalkeeper, turns it into a story that will be replayed for years. It is the kind of night that strengthens belief inside a squad, especially in a league phase where consistency and momentum matter so much. Trubin scoring in the final moments was also symbolic: it reflected a team that kept pushing, kept competing, and kept playing with conviction until the very end.
For Real Madrid, the immediate concern is the playoff round. Extra matches do not just mean extra minutes. They mean extra preparation, extra travel, and extra emotional pressure. In a season where domestic ambitions and European ambitions often collide, this is precisely the situation clubs want to avoid. The playoff also introduces uncertainty: one bad half, one red card, one injury, or one lapse can suddenly turn a Champions League campaign into a painful memory.
Mbappe, however, leaves Lisbon with a personal milestone even in defeat. His two goals took him to 13 across the first phase of the Champions League, a new record that puts him ahead of Cristiano Ronaldo, who previously held the benchmark with 11. It is a remarkable statistic and one that underlines how devastating Mbappe can be, even when the team performance is not at its best.
There is, however, an important nuance that Mbappe himself acknowledged indirectly through the numbers. He reached 13 goals in 7 matches, while Ronaldo scored his 11 in 6. That does not erase the achievement, but it adds context. It reminds everyone that formats, schedules, and match counts shape records, and it also keeps the comparison grounded. Still, scoring at that rate on the biggest stage is an elite indicator, and it shows that Mbappe is producing at a level that can carry a team through difficult periods if the collective side responds.
The bigger question now is what Real Madrid do with the message Mbappe delivered. Comments like these can fracture a dressing room if they are taken as blame, but they can also act as a wake-up call if the group recognises the truth in them. Real Madrid have built their modern European history on resilience and ruthlessness, yet Mbappe is effectively saying that the team did not play with those traits in Lisbon, and perhaps has not shown them consistently enough in this league phase.
From Benfica perspective, the win reinforces the idea that effort and courage can bridge gaps in reputation and resources. Against a club like Real Madrid, any hesitation is punished, but any belief can become fuel. Benfica played like a team that expected to compete, not merely survive, and that is often the first step toward delivering a performance that becomes a benchmark for the rest of the campaign.
In short, Lisbon produced two truths at once. Benfica earned a famous 4-2 win, sealed by a stoppage time goal from their goalkeeper, and Real Madrid were forced into the playoff round after finishing ninth in the league phase. Mbappe broke a scoring record, but he also delivered a verdict on his own team that sounded more painful than celebratory. For Real Madrid, the record will be a footnote unless the response is immediate. For Benfica, the result can be a turning point if they use it as proof of what they are capable of against the very highest level.
Updated: 11:44, 29 Jan 2026
