The final matches of the 8th round of the UEFA Champions League group stage are also behind us. The anticipated evening was truly exciting: on one side, a celebration in Catalonia, and on the other, Madrid fans returning from their Portuguese tour in a gloomy mood.
Barcelona hosted Copenhagen at their home ground and secured a convincing, impressive 4-1 victory. It's true that the stadium fell silent for a moment when the visitors took the lead with Dadason's goal in the 4th minute. But this was only a signal for "Barca" - the team began to gradually turn the game in their favor.
In the second half, the Catalans returned to the field in a completely different appearance. In the 48th minute, Robert Lewandowski equalized, opening the scoring. In the 60th minute, Lamin Yamal put Barcelona ahead - after this goal, both the confidence on the field and the tempo shifted entirely to the home side. Later, Raphinha and Rashford also brought the score to a large level with their goals, and Copenhagen's resistance began to break.
As a result, Barcelona finished the group stage in a very good mood and managed to enter the top 8 teams. In short, for Barça fans, the evening is a "cold and productive atmosphere in the decisive round."
Barcelona - Copenhagen 4:1
Goals: Lewandowski (48), Yamal (60), Rafinha (69), Rashford (85) - Dadason (3).
But in football, there are two different moods in one evening. Real Madrid, Barcelona's long-standing rival, suffered a 2-4 defeat away to Benfica in Portugal. This result was costly for Real Madrid: they failed to make it into the Top 8.
Interestingly, Benfica goalkeeper Anatoly Trubin scored in the final minutes of the match, securing his team's promotion to the next stage. If the goalkeeper scores - then that evening truly becomes a movie, and the atmosphere turns into a complete dramatic scenario. For Real Madrid, this goal was not just a goal, but a huge blow.
Benfica - Real Madrid 4:2
Goals: Schelderup (36, 54), Pavlidis (45+5, penalty), Trubin (90+8) - Mbappe (30, 58).
Red cards: Asensio (90+2, Real Madrid), Rodrigo (90+7, Real Madrid).
Thus, the overall picture after the 8th round is as follows: Barcelona cleaned up their work and entered the Top 8 with the desired result, while Real Madrid remained outside the top eight due to a heavy defeat. The Champions League reminded us once again: mistakes are not forgiven in this tournament - one night can change the mood of the entire season.
