Real Madrid secured their place in the Champions League round of 16. They defeated Benfica 2-1 in the second leg at the Santiago Bernabeu on February 25, 2026. This result gave them a 3-1 aggregate win over the Portuguese side.
Early Goals Set the Tone
Benfica forward Rafa Silva scored first in the 14th minute. He turned in a loose ball after Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois prevented a clearance from defender Raul Asencio from entering the net.
However Real Madrid midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni responded quickly. He curled a fine strike from the edge of the box in the 16th minute to level the score on the night.
Vinicius Delivers Decisive Blow
The match remained tense until the 80th minute. Real Madrid forward Vinicius Junior broke clear and slotted the ball low across Benfica goalkeeper Anatoliy Trubin to secure the win. Vinicius celebrated by performing a dance at the corner flag. This mirrored his action from the first leg.
Racism Row Overshadows Tie
The encounter followed allegations of racial abuse. Vinicius claimed Benfica winger Gianluca Prestianni directed abuse at him after scoring in the first leg’s 1-0 win. Prestianni denied the claim. UEFA suspended Prestianni for the return leg after dismissing Benfica’s appeal.
Additionally, fans displayed a “no to racism” banner before kick-off. Benfica president Rui Costa insisted Prestianni was not racist. He added that the club would stand by the player.
Post-Match Reactions
Tchouameni earned man-of-the-match honors. He stated, “I was scoring a lot of goals in the warm-up and I felt this was my day. Arbeloa tells me to push forward a bit more, it would help me to score more goals. We need to adjust a bit how we defend, but in the end we won the game, which is the most important thing.”
Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti’s side lacked Kylian Mbappe due to injury. Benfica, under Jose Mourinho, exited the competition. Real Madrid advanced to face either Manchester City or Sporting next.
