Daily Archives: January 29, 2026

Benfica 4 Real Madrid 2: Goalkeeper Anatoliy Trubin scores as Mourinho’s side dump Madrid into the play-offs


Anatoliy Trubin celebrates his last-gasp goal
“Goalkeeper Anatoliy Trubin scored a remarkable stoppage-time goal to claim a 4-2 win for Benfica against Real Madrid — sending Jose Mourinho’s side through to the play-offs as they condemned his former side to that additional knockout stage. A frantic night at a rain-soaked Estadio da Luz began with Benfica putting heavy pressure on Madrid, with an overturned penalty for Mourinho’s side in the 16th minute before Gianluca Prestianni saw a curling effort tipped over the bar by Thibaut Courtois. … What just happened?! Football. Stupid football. Stupid, crazy, delirious football. Don’t try and pin it down. It will wriggle free in new ways. It doesn’t obey. …”
NY Times/The Athletic
YouTube: Real Madrid vs Benfica 2-4 All Goals & Highlights 2026

FBref and Opta: The data break-up that sent soccer’s analytics world into meltdown

“Anyone not plugged into football’s online discourse may have missed it, but the analytics community was rocked by a seismic event last week. FBref.com, once the great Alexandrian library of free football data, has been stripped of its advanced metrics after announcing on January 20 that Stats Perform, the company behind Opta, had informed them it was terminating their data agreement. Why did this happen? What does it mean for the availability of advanced football data, or for informed, independent football analysis? And can we enjoy expected goals anywhere else online? Here is an attempt to explain… ”
NY Times/The Athletic (Video)

Barcelona 4 Copenhagen 1 – Champions League last-16 spot secured in comeback win

“Whatever Hansi Flick said in the Barcelona dressing room at half time, it worked wonders. Having gone 1-0 down to Copenhagen in the fourth minute, goals from Robert Lewandowski, Lamine Yamal, Raphinha and Marcus Rashford steered the Catalans into the Champions League last 16 with a 4-1 home victory on Wednesday night. It means Barca avoid having to contest a play-off to reach the knockout stages proper, after a win that moved them up into the top eight of the league phase table. For Copenhagen, a spirited and battling display ultimately ends with defeat and elimination. …”
NY Times/The Athletic
YouTube: Barcelona vs Copenhagen 4-1 All Goals & Highlights 2026

Napoli 2 Chelsea 3: A statement win for Liam Rosenior as Joao Pedro ensures top-eight finish

“A 3-2 Chelsea win in Naples has sealed a top-eight finish in the Champions League for the Premier League side and eliminated their opponents from the competition, as Liam Rosenior’s promising start at the club continues. It was advantage Chelsea early on, after Enzo Fernandez’s 19th-minute penalty put the London side 1-0 up. Napoli were unhappy with the decision to penalise Juan Jesus — jumping up from his position in a defensive wall — for handball. And the home side seemingly used that sense of injustice to shake off their lethargy, with the rest of the first half a consistent stream of Napoli attacks. …”
NY Times/The Athletic (Video)

PSG 1 Newcastle 1 – How far can Howe’s side go? Why did PSG drop off? What is a CL handball?

“Newcastle and Paris Saint-Germain are both now in the Champions League knockout phase play-offs after a tense 1-1 draw at Parc des Princes. Both went into the game in the top eight teams — who go straight to the last 16 — but results elsewhere mean they will need two-legged play-offs to advance further. Vitinha put PSG ahead with a beautifully-placed finish after Ousmane Dembele had missed an early penalty given harshly against Lewis Miley for a handball. And though the hosts dominated the majority of the first half, Joe Willock headed in an equaliser just before the break with Newcastle’s first shot on target. …”
NY Times/The Athletic