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FOOTBALL DAILY: Mourinho's Champions League thriller, Keane on Ferencvaros ambitions, Kenny on the climate, and Ferguson's rotten injury luck continues
29 Jan 2026
Chapter 1: What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
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Hello and welcome to Thursday's Football Daily. I'm Phil Egan. Coming up today we look back on a momentous final night of Champions League action with five Premier League clubs straight into the last 16. Jose Mourinho has another night to remember in Europe's Premier competition thanks to his goalkeeper-turned-striker. Celtic prepare for a crucial night in the Europa League against Utrecht.
And we hear from Stephen Kenny ahead of the new League of Ireland season. But first to the action in Europe last night, the main drama was at the Estadio de Luz, where Benfica scored a 98th-minute goal against Real Madrid, thanks to their Ukrainian goalkeeper, Antony Trubin. The goal sealed their place in the knockout phase of the Champions League.
Benfica were 3-2 up but needed a fourth goal to get the last playoff place and goal difference ahead of Marseille. Real had two players sent off. Raul Asensio and Rodrigo were both shown red cards late on. Benfica were awarded a free kick. Trubin was sent up for it, scored a header to spark wild celebrations in the ground.
Benfica boss Jose Mourinho told TNT Sports he's never seen anything like that before in all his years in football.
Everything is deja vu, but this one is the first time. We knew that he could do it. We knew that he could do it. We were losing in Porto a couple of weeks ago, and in the last minute he went there and he almost scored. So we know that the big guy is capable of this. The quality of the service, of course, is the most important thing. You have to put the ball there.
It's an amazing goal for the guy.
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Chapter 2: What were the key moments from the final night of Champions League action?
There was confusion in the ground as to what Benfica needed to do to guarantee their place in the knockout stages. Mourinho admitted he didn't realise his side needed a fourth goal until after he'd made his final substitutions.
When I make the changes, the last changes, Ivanovic and Antonio Silva, I was told it's enough, so let's close the door. When I make the changes a few seconds later, they tell me we need one more goal, but I cannot make more changes, so... that was the lucky point to get a free kick that allowed us to go there with the big guy.
It was a damaging result for Real Madrid, who dropped out of the top eight and will now play a two-legged playoff round next month. Bodo Glimt continued to be the story of this season's Champions League. The Norwegian side had beat Pep Guardiola's Manchester City last week, followed that up with a 2-1 win away to Atletico Madrid, the clincher spot in the playoff round this
to face either Real Madrid or Inter for a place in the last 16. Liverpool boss Arne Slott was delighted his side have avoided a play-off tie. They hammered Carabao 6-0 at Anfield to go straight into the last 16. You want to finish top eight, so we're happy that we are going straight away to the last 16.
Two seasons in a row now, being at the last 16 and this season, as we were last season, we were very hungry for more. We will definitely be hungry for more this season as well. The only downside of last night for Liverpool was another defensive injury. Jeremy Frimpong was forced off early in the match with a muscle injury.
And with Conor Bradley out for the rest of the season, Slott was asked if they need more defensive players in the final days of the transfer window. Are there players available that we think can help us? And if they are, can we afford them? I just said that we don't have a squad where we have four right-backs and 12 midfielders and three or four number nines. That's not how it works over here.
So we have to do the smart things for the near future, but also for the longer future.
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Chapter 3: How did Benfica secure their place in the knockout phase?
Newcastle are facing a playoff tie against either Monaco or Carabag. Their one-all draw away to holders PSG meant that Newcastle were the only Premier League club to miss out on automatic qualification for the last 16. But manager Eddie Howe is still proud of how they performed in the competition. We didn't want the extra games, but we'll take it.
We'll go down that route and I think we're going down that route in the best possible way with a strong performance against the holders of the competition. So if there's ever a game that we need to look to to give us confidence, it's this one in my opinion. Chelsea produced a second half comeback to beat Napoli 3-2 away from home and that secured their place in the last 16.
The result continued the impressive start for boss Liam Resenior. It's five wins in six matches. It's not about me or my ego or trying to prove anything. I'll try and do the very best I can with my group, with my staff and hopefully we can have more really good nights like this. Tottenham boss Thomas Frank praised the fantastic achievement of his side to finish fourth in the league phase.
Their 2-0 win away to Eintracht Frankfurt saw them book their place in the last 16.
I need to say we've seen some of the results in the Champions League tonight. We've seen some results throughout the league phase. There's no easy games. So we're sitting here with 17 points, finishing fourth in the group stage, 16th sheet. I think it's very impressive.
Pep Guardiola thanked his old rival Jose Mourinho after Manchester City finished eighth to take the last spot for an automatic place in the last 16. City won 2-0 at home to Galatasaray to finish ahead of Real Madrid after their loss to Benfica.
I'm really pleased to finish top eight considering how the Champions League has become. Every team is really, really, really, really tough and hopefully we can arrive on Mars in our best.
Arsenal entered the league phase with a 100% record after a 3-2 win at Hampton Cairat. Kai Havert scored on his first start for nearly a year. Manager Mikel Arteta praised the performance of the German. We realised straight away how much we missed him.
What he brings to the team, his creativity, the way he links with people, his intuition in front of goals as well. So I'm very, very happy to have him.
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Chapter 4: What did Jose Mourinho say about his goalkeeper's dramatic goal?
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After that, then, it'll be the draw for the knockout stages of the Europa League. Celtic have to win tonight to guarantee they reach the knockout stages. Celtic are in the final spot of the playoff positions and face a Utrecht side who are already out. Celtic boss Martin O'Neill says they won't underestimate the Dutch side, though.
Well, for whatever it is, we've put ourselves into this position, but we have to win the game. It's as simple as that. And if we do win the game, we can get through. It's not as easy as that. I've had a look at them and despite their recent records these boys can play.
They're definitely a very decent side coming here with nothing to concern themselves just probably thinking let's go out and enjoy it and that's a danger in itself.
Celtic earned a crucial point away to Bologna last week despite having to play an hour with 10 men. Utrecht have just one point from their seven games so far and Celtic winger Benjamin Nigren says the squad is excited about trying to push through.
Since I was a kid, you play in a tournament, you always want to go as far as possible and win the tournament you're in. We take it game by game and I think if we go through, we can for sure go far in the competition.
Robbie Keane takes his Ferencváros side to the city ground hoping to maintain his side's unbeaten run against Nottingham Forest. The Hungarian champions are seventh in the table and have their eyes on a top eight finish to avoid the playoff round. Keane says he wants his side to bring no fear into the game tonight.
Listen, what we've done so far is incredible, an incredible achievement. If you look at all the teams that we've played in terms of the budget that we have, I think we're the third lowest in the Europa League. And the teams that we've played against, we're not talking small teams, we're talking massive teams. Fenerbahce won them, Rangers, big club, obviously now Forest.
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Chapter 5: How did Bodo/Glimt continue their impressive Champions League run?
To have two strikers with Ollie Watkins was our objective and of course we are so excited about how he can help us from now until the end of the season.
Elsewhere in the Europa League tonight, Evan Ferguson won't be involved for Roma's game away to AK Athens. The Meath man suffered an ankle injury late on last time against Stuttgart.
His manager, Giampiero Gasperini, said at the pre-match press conference on Wednesday, ''What's really disappointing for Ferguson's injury, which he sustained in the last match against Stuttgart in the very last minute, he's a kid who, among other things, is certainly not lucky.'' Former Ireland boss and current St.
Pat's manager Stephen Kenny joined Will O'Callaghan on last night's football show and with all the chat around facilities, winter football and young players development this week, Kenny says the climate we have in Ireland is best suited to summer football. Do you think an overall summer football scheme is the way to go or what's your feeling about it?
You know, we've played in different parts obviously, managed clubs in Dublin and in Longford so I've a good feeling of scuba clubs throughout the country. Yeah, listen,
just don't have the climate that you can play in in the winter and we just don't have the climate that gets any sort of quality we don't have the facilities to accommodate that so it it's only right that it would be from uh you know from through the summer months i don't the two aspects are obviously always classes with the ga and if you're from
And my kids played for Bort in Inishowen and played for Aliot at that time. So you're ferrying children from one to the other. So I do understand that and I do think that you will lose players and so forth, people in rural areas. I wouldn't say it's an urban rural thing because the DDSL weren't in favour of it either last year.
Is that right?
So it's complex. I know you can't say it's one size fits all either, but I think it is a complex situation because obviously summer holidays is a factor, but people are entitled to their summer holidays, but they can do that. Young kids can go into summer holidays and come back and play at different times. That's all. I'm sure that can all be agreed.
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Chapter 6: How did Liverpool manage to avoid a playoff tie?
Senegal went on to win the final 1-0 after extra time. That's about all we have time for in today's Football Daily. I'm Phil Egan. I'll be back with more tomorrow.