Paris Saint-Germain appeared set to top Champions League Group H, only for Benfica to snatch top spot at the death at Maccabi Haifa.
Kylian Mbappe conceded Paris Saint-Germain did not do enough to top their UEFA Champions League group, which Benfica topped in dramatic circumstances on Wednesday.
Goals from Mbappe and Nuno Mendes at Juventus, either side of Leonardo Bonucci’s equaliser, looked set to put Christophe Galtier’s side top of Group H with a 2-1 triumph.
However, Benfica scored five unanswered second-half goals at Maccabi to win 6-1, the last of which from Joao Mario in the 92nd minute to grab top spot for away goals scored.
For the first time in Champions League history, PSG and Benfica could not be separated by their head-to-head record, goals scored or goals conceded, although Mbappe suggested his side should have done more.
“We didn’t know it during the match, but in the end they tried to warn us,” the World Cup-winning striker told RMC Sport.
“But that was the end, it doesn’t matter, we qualified. We came to do the job, it’s not enough, we’ll look at a draw and play to win.”
Galtier hailed PSG’s 7-2 win over Maccabi on matchday as a warning sign and bemoaned the good margins that saw them finish second.
“When we were winning 7-2 last week, we stopped playing in the 90th minute,” he told Canal+. “During the group stage, we conceded too many goals from set pieces, like we did against Maccabi.
“If we had conceded one less goal, we would have finished top of the group.”
PSG failed to top their Champions League group for the second successive season after finishing first in each of the previous four, but Galtier insisted his side still performed well in Europe’s top competition.
“We could consider everything. We knew about this possibility. Congratulations to Benfica, who scored more away goals than us,” he added.
“Then I congratulate my team and my group. We had a good group. We scored a lot of goals. That is the history of the Champions League. This competition is sometimes irrational and we saw that.”
“We had an exceptional journey. We beat Juventus twice and we were very happy until the 92nd minute.
“But if you want to go far in this competition, you have to beat the big teams. Let’s wait for the draw and see who we get in the last 16.”
