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Football fans are used to seeing a goalkeeper charge upfield for a set piece in the last few minutes of a game. Jan Tomaszewski, the Polish “clown” who denied England a place at the 1974 World Cup, may have been the first to do so, and it has become normalised in the 21st century. On Wednesday in Lisbon, there was a new twist on an old tactic. In the 98th minute, Benfica keeper Anatoliy Trubin legged it upfield – at a time when his team were leading Real Madrid.
José Mourinho’s Benfica were 3-2 up but needed another goal to move above Marseille and into the promised land: the top 24 of the new Bigger Cup, which comes with a playoff place. Trubin planted a superb downward header past Thibaut Courtois – Roy Race couldn’t have done it better – and set off on a celebration whose memory will act as instant serotonin for the rest of his life. Trubin joined Benfica from Shakhtar Donetsk in 2023, a year after the beginning of the Russia-Ukraine war, and dedicated the goal to his country. “For Ukraine,” he said. “For those who know how to fight till the end.”
The goal means that Benfica will face one of Mourinho’s old clubs in the playoff round: either Real Madrid (again) or Inter. A few minutes beforehand, Mourinho made two defensive substitutions after being wrongly told a 3-2 win was enough for Benfica. At least nobody kept the ball in the corner like poor Steve Lomas when Manchester City were relegated in 1995-96. “A few seconds later, then they tell me we need one more goal, but I cannot make more changes,” tooted Mourinho. “That was the lucky point, to get the free-kick, to allow us to go there with the big guy [Trubin].”
