Benfica goalie glory, Chelsea knock out Napoli + Spurs get ready for Man City

The Totally Football Show with James Richardson

The Athletic

Sports, Premier League, Champions League, Soccer,, World Cup

4.5 • 4.4K Ratings

🗓️ 29 January 2026

⏱️ 62 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Jimbo has Duncan Alexander, Tom Williams and Liam Twomey for company after a giant smorgasbord of Champions League action.

Jose Mourinho’s Benfica produce an incredible finale against Real Madrid, with goalkeeper Anatoliy Trubin scoring a 98th minute header to keep them in the competition and knock out Marseille. Nick Miller was there.

Chelsea impress under Rosenior again with a 3-2 win in Naples that books their passage straight into the last 16 and sees Antonio Conte’s Italian champions exit the competition.

Newcastle and PSG both go into Friday’s knockout play-off draw after a 1-1 draw in Paris. And Tottenham finish 4th after a 2-0 win in Frankfurt. Can Thomas Frank’s team take their European form into Sunday’s Premier League clash with Man City?

Kai Havertz is back for Arsenal, helping them take down Kairat. With Mikel Arteta calling for positivity, the Gunners test their title credentials at Elland Road.

Plus what next for Raheem Sterling? And a passionate debate about the league phase.

Produced by Charlie Jones

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RUNNING ORDER:

• PART 1: The league phase is over - do we like it? (02.45)

• PART 2a: Napoli 2-3 Chelsea (10.30)

• PART 2b: PSG 1-1 Newcastle (19.00)

• PART 3a: Benfica’s goalkeeper keeps them in the Champions League (27.00)

• PART 3b: The rest of Matchday 8 (35.00)

• PART 4a: Spurs v Man City preview (45.00)

• PART 4b: Leeds v Arsenal preview (48.00)

• PART 5a: Nottingham Forest v Palace preview (53.00)

• PART 5b: Liverpool v Newcastle preview (59.00)

• PART 5c: Thierno Barry among the goals (62.00)

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Transcript

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0:00.0	The Athletic F.C.
0:09.3	Totally football show.
0:10.8	Today, everything everywhere, all up once.
0:13.5	We look at Wednesday's Champions League.
0:15.7	League phase finale.
0:17.5	Trubin madly deeply and the last minute Benfica limbs in Lisbon, Chelsea away in
0:22.7	Naples finding a way, because if you split that word up, and Premier League sides generally,
0:28.0	making European football's top tier look like a Carabar Cup quarterfinal lineup. Then it's back
0:32.9	home for some delicious looking weekend Premier League fixtures, Spurs Man City,
0:39.4	Legacy's Liverpool, Newcastle,
0:42.4	and a brand-new grudge derby for Crystal Palace.
0:44.9	All of that coming up in his Tolly Football Show.
0:53.0	Unbelievable, Unbelievable this.
0:57.3	Thursday, the 29th of January, welcome to the Totally Football Show.
0:58.4	We've got Duncan Alexander.
0:59.6	Hi, James.
1:01.3	Hi, Duncan. Nice to see you.
1:06.9	Very happy after my defence of this league format has been proven 110% correct.
1:07.9	You've gone there, have you?
1:09.0	All right. Tom Williams.
1:45.4	Hello, James. Also... Also. Also, as in Duncan's case, a long-time defender of the new format and feeling extremely vindicated this morning. Powerfully vindicated. I do not know why unless you've lost your senses. But we'll come on to that a little bit later on. And joining us for the first time on the show, not the first time you've ever appeared, but you know. In the flesh. In the flesh. Liam, too me. Liam, how are you? Good, good. It's nice not to be a head and shoulders in a box and actually in a box with all the movie.
1:46.0	Big a box.
	...

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