Real Madrid striker Kylian Mbappe admitted his team were not consistent enough for a top-eight spot as his side slipped into the UEFA Champions League Play-off round on Wednesday following a stunning 2-4 loss to Benfica. After three wins in their previous three matches under new coach Alvaro Arbeloa, Madrid were brought back down to earth by Jose Mourinho’s side in Lisbon.
“The problem is we aren’t consistent in our play, we have to fix that, you can’t have one day [playing well] and another not, a champion team does not do that. We deserve to be in this situation today, Benfica were better, now we have to play two more play-off games. It hurts to have to play those, we wanted to have the time in February to work on our game,” said Mbappe.
Benfica goalkeeper Anatoliy Trubin celebrates his late goal vs Real Madrid
The French skipper, who scored twice on the day, said he could not put his finger on a clear reason why Madrid played so poorly against Benfica. “I think it’s a bit of everything. I can’t tell you it’s just a matter of attitude, because if I only say that, you’ll think we came here without any desire. In the Champions League every detail matters if you want to beat your opponent… It shows you that if you don’t come in with everything you need to win a Champions League match, the opponent will come and make fools of you,” he said.
Benfica were on the brink of elimination despite leading 3-2. They needed another goal in added time to make it to the Play-offs on goal difference, and they managed to do just that, through the most unlikeliest of means, as goalkeeper Anatoliy Trubin nodded home from a last-ditch free-kick to send the fans into a delirium.
Other key results
Chelsea 3-2 Napoli
Inter Milan 2-0 Dortmund
PSG 1-1 Newcastle
Arsenal 3-2 Kairat
Bayern Munich 2-1 PSV
Man City 2-0 Galatasaray
Liverpool 6-0 Qarabag
Barcelona 4-1 Copenhagen
Atl Madrid 1-2 Bodo/Glimt
Juventus 0-0 Monaco
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