They knew Benfica needed one more goal, before anyone on the bench, let alone the pitch did. “We were winning, so I didn’t need to hurry up. Trubin wheeled away, into the centre of the pitch, escaping his team-mates for just long enough to do a knee slide. “You don’t need to say anything for such a special moment,” says Trubin. A couple of weeks before the Real game, they were knocked out of both domestic cups in the space of seven days, and at that stage they were 10 points behind the league leaders.

Source: International New York Times February 16, 2026 16:01 UTC