Kylian Mbappe conceded Paris Saint-Germain did not do enough to top their 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, seemed to have Christophe Galtier's side on course to top Group H courtesy of a 2-1 triumph.
However, Benfica scored five unanswered second-half goals at Maccabi to win 6-1, the latter of which from Joao Mario in the 92nd minute snatched top spot on away goals scored.
For the first instance in Champions League history, PSG and Benfica could not be separated by their head-to-head record, goals scored or conceded, though Mbappe suggested his side should have done more.
"During the match, we did not know, but in the end they tried to warn us" the World Cup-winning forward told RMC Sport.
"But that was the end, it doesn't matter, we qualified. We came to do the work, that's not enough, we'll watch the draw and we'll play to win."
Galtier pinpointed PSG's 7-2 win over Maccabi on matchday five as a warning sign and lamented the fine margins that saw his side finish second.
"When we were winning 7-2 last week, we stopped playing at the 90th minute," he told Canal+. "We conceded too many goals during the group stage from set-pieces, as we did against Maccabi.
"If we'd conceded one goal fewer, we would have finished top of the group."
PSG failed to top their Champions League group for a second straight season after finishing first in each of the previous four, but Galtier insisted his side have still performed well in Europe's top competition.
"We could consider everything. We knew this possibility. Congratulations to Benfica, who scored more away goals than us," he added.
"Afterwards, I congratulate my team and my group. We had a good group. We scored a lot of goals. That's the history of the Champions League. This competition is sometimes irrational and we saw that.
"We had an exceptional journey. We've beaten 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 big teams. Let's wait for the draw and see who we get in the last 16."
Koeman impressed with 'flashy' Netherlands, jumps to defend De Ligt mistakes
Ronald Koeman was pleased with the Netherlands' "flashy" display against Bosnia-Herzegovina, as he also jumped to the aid of defender Matthijs de Ligt.
A dominant Dutch display eventually reflected the scoreline it deserved upon Donatas Rumsas' final whistle, as they bounced back to winning ways with a 5-2 victory following their Euro 2024 semi-final disappointment.
Joshua Zirkzee's opener was cancelled out by Ermedin Demirovic, before strikes from Tijjani Reijnders and Cody Gakpo gave the Netherlands a comfortable advantage.
Edin Dzeko's 73rd-minute goal threatened to set a nervy conclusion to proceedings, only for Wout Weghorst and Xavi Simons to confirm an emphatic victory.
"We played really well in possession. Very fresh, fast, often finding the people between the lines," Koeman said.
"Especially after the break, we had a good phase, but then the game has to be over."
Despite registering 28 shots, with nine of those on target, along with an expected goals (xG) total of 4.09, two lapses in concentration from De Ligt were punished by Bosnia.
Demirovic capitalised on some poor positioning from the Manchester United defender, who was then caught ball-watching as veteran Dzeko capitalised.
But Koeman came to the defence of De Ligt, saying: "You concede two goals, you take that with you. When we went to 3-2, you also saw some doubt in the team, while that was not necessary if you looked at the proportions.
"[For the first goal] Simons should have done better. He was marking their left midfielder and suddenly walked away from him.
"Of course, the centre-backs are positioning themselves wrong too.
"He [De Ligt] also realises that he is in the wrong position. This shouldn't happen, but mistakes are part of football. I think it's unfair to make a big deal out of it."
Ronaldo's 900 goals 'an inspiration for football' – Martinez
Portugal boss Roberto Martinez sees Cristiano Ronaldo's "incredible" achievement of 900 career goals as an "inspiration for football".
Ronaldo netted his landmark goal on Thursday, scoring Portugal's winner in a 2-1 Nations League victory over Croatia.
The 39-year-old was already the leading goalscorer in the history of the game.
And Martinez feels nobody can put a limit on what Ronaldo is still able to achieve.
"I don't think scoring 900 goals is easy. It's a historic achievement, incredible, an inspiration for football," Martinez said ahead of Portugal's clash with Scotland.
"I don't think anyone can say that Cristiano can't do something. It's incredible what he's achieving, what he's doing in football.
"For us, the goal is collective. That he helps the national team."
Scotland lost 3-2 at home to Poland in their Nations League opener, but Martinez is expecting a fierce test on Sunday.
"Our players know the intensity of British football. Scotland have that. A lot of intensity, fast attacks, experience. We know the difference, but Scotland are objective, vertical, but have the quality to keep the ball," Martinez said.
"The last two games have shown that they want to win. They've lost their last few games after the 90th minute, they're objective, they've got top-class players. They're experienced and talented.
"It's not just a British team, a physical team, but a team with lots of skills and the game will be very competitive. We've prepared for that."
Cristiano Ronaldo scores 900th goal: The stats behind Portugal great's latest landmark
Another match, another landmark for Cristiano Ronaldo.
The five-time Ballon d'Or winner insisted he still has more to offer at the international level this week, and he brought up 900 career goals by netting in Portugal's Nations League Nations League opener versus Croatia.
It was a typical poacher's finish that brought up Ronaldo's latest landmark, the forward beating his marker to Nuno Mendes' left-wing cross to sidefoot home and put Portugal 2-0 up inside the first half.
Never one to rest on his laurels, Ronaldo will now surely be targeting the big 1,000, though Pele's FIFA-recognised figure of 1,281 goals will surely prove beyond the 39-year-old.
As Ronaldo plots a route to four figures, we dive into the Opta data to look at how he reached his current total, highlighting the most interesting facts and figures.
Ronaldo's 900th career goal was also his 131st in 213 appearances for Portugal, with both of those figures being all-time records both for the Selecao and for any male player on the international stage.
The ultimate goal poacher, he has scored 109 of those from inside the penalty area, though only 20 have come from the penalty spot – he memorably missed his last spot-kick for the Selecao, versus Slovenia in the Euro 2024 quarter-finals.
Ronaldo struggled at this year's tournament in Germany, where he had 23 shots but failed to find the net – the first time he has not scored at a major international competition. Only fellow Portugal great Deco has ever had more efforts at a single edition of the Euros without scoring, firing off 24 shots without success at the 2004 tournament.
However, Ronaldo does boast 22 goals at the World Cup/Euros for Portugal overall, winning the Golden Boot with five strikes at Euro 2020, five years on from captaining the Selecao to their maiden trophy. Only two of those, though, have come in knockout matches – versus the Netherlands at Euro 2004 and Wales at Euro 2016.
Still, Ronaldo's international legacy speaks for itself, and his achievements on the club stage are even more impressive.
Ronaldo scored five times for boyhood club Sporting CP before leaving for Manchester United, for whom he plundered 145 goals across two separate spells.
He has broken three figures with all but two of his clubs, netting 101 times for Juventus and being well on the way to doing so with Al-Nassr, for whom he has 68 goals.
It was at Real Madrid, however, where Ronaldo earned his goal machine tag, scoring exactly half his career goals (450) for Los Blancos and helping them win the Champions League four times.
He is the leading goalscorer in Madrid's illustrious history, some 96 clear of former team-mate Karim Benzema (354), who represented the club 648 times, compared to Ronaldo's 438 appearances.
Overall, Ronaldo has scored 573 of his goals with his favoured right foot, with 173 coming via his left and almost as many – 152 – coming via headers, with his aerial prowess becoming increasingly notable throughout his career.
What about dead balls? Ronaldo has converted 164 penalties for club and country, including a spot-kick in the 2014 Champions League final versus Atletico Madrid.
Ronaldo's free-kick taking has been an area targeted by those looking to do down on his achievements at times, but he has scored 64 direct free-kick goals throughout his career, the latest coming in a 4-1 win over Al-Fayha in the Saudi Pro League before the turn of the month.
Where, then, do Ronaldo's achievements rank versus those of his peers? Drum roll please... Ronaldo is currently some 62 goals ahead of his great rival Lionel Messi, who has 838 career strikes for Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain, Inter Miami and Argentina.
With Ronaldo firing on all cylinders in Saudi Arabia and looking unlikely to give up the ghost at international level any time soon, few would bet against him extending that advantage before the two greats hang up their boots.
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