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UCL Champions League Play-Offs Advertisement live Updated 4h ago Real Madrid defeated Benfica 2-1 at the Bernabeu, 3-1 on aggregate, to progress to the Champions League round of 16 today. Rafa Silva tapped in but Aurelien Tchouameni swept home two minutes later to restore the aggregate lead after they won the first leg 1-0. Madrid's Raul Asencio was withdrawn on a stretcher after an accidental aerial clash with team-mate Eduardo Camavinga. Vinicius Jr, who scored the first-leg winner, curled it into the bottom corner to seal his side's progress in the knockout stages. He alleged he was racially abused by Benfica's Gianluca Prestianni — which Prestianni denied — in last week's first leg, with Prestianni suspended by UEFA tonight after an appeal was dismissed. GO FURTHER Real Madrid 2 Benfica 1 (3-1 agg): Vinicius Jr seals Madrid’s progress, but where was Mourinho? Now it gets serious in the Champions League. 16 teams remain in the 2025-26 Champions League – six of them from the Premier League. Here's how the competition is shaping up ahead of Friday's draw for the Round of 16 and beyond. GO FURTHER Champions League knockouts: 16 teams remain, all-English ties loom in latter stages For many years, Italy was a major powerhouse of European football. But not at the moment. From 2005 to 2012 the country had three clubs in the last 16 of the Champions League every year but this season, like last, it is just one, with Atalanta their only representative. England has asserted its dominance with six Premier League teams in the last 16 for the first time. Real Madrid might face Sporting CP in the last 16. But it might be Manchester City in the return of European football's fiercest modern rivalries. If games are taken in isolation rather than as two-legged ties, Real and City have five wins each and five draws from their 15 meetings, which date back to 2012. But Pep Guardiola's side won the last meeting 2-1 in Madrid in this season's group phase. And on tonight's evidence, they would fancy their chances again unless Real get a few of their big players back from injury. After a couple of weeks of play-off ties and some excellent games, the Champions League reaches the real business end of the competition when it returns for the last 16 in March. The draw takes place on Friday but we already know the either-or options in each section and there are potentially some mouthwatering ties. The pick, if it comes off, is arguably defending champions Paris Saint Germain against heavyweights Barcelona. Either Barca or Chelsea will meet PSG with the other facing Newcastle United. The other huge potential clash would see Real Madrid squaring up to Manchester City in a resumption of one of the great, modern European rivalries. .. But they draw could also pit City against surprise package Bodo/Glimt, which would leave Sporting CP to face Real Madrid. Either Liverpool or Tottenham will play Atletico Madrid with the other facing Galatasaray, while Bayern Munich and Arsenal will both face either Atalanta or Bayer Leverkusen. Let's hear from Real Madrid manager Alvaro Arbeloa as he discussed Kylian Mbappe's absence. ? “Yesterday he had to leave training and on other days he has felt discomfort and we decided to play, but after yesterday's training we spoke with doctors and decided he should stop, recover 100 per cent and come back with confidence and without discomfort. “From now on, we'll have to wait and see if it's a matter of days and it doesn't take too long, but he should take the time he needs. We have a diagnosis, but I don't think it's my place to give that kind of information. “We are very clear about what is wrong with him, what has been happening to him, and what is happening to him right now. We are very clear about that. ” He also mentioned Vinicius Jr's celebration after scoring the goal that clinched progress for his side. ? “I was obviously delighted with the great goal he scored, because he was the one who scored. “He deserves it, he's in great form, and without Mbappe he's even more important. I'm very happy for him because he really deserves it. ” Real Madrid have released an official statement via their website regarding the fan who was ejected from the stadium after a Nazi salute. ✍️ “Real Madrid CF announces that it has urgently requested the club's Disciplinary Committee to initiate immediate expulsion proceedings against the member who was caught on television cameras making the Nazi salute in the Supporters' Stand, moments before the start of the match between Real Madrid and Benfica. “This member was located by club security personnel moments after he appeared on the broadcast and was immediately expelled from the Santiago Bernabeu stadium. “Real Madrid condemns these types of gestures and expressions that incite violence and hatred in sport and in society. ” Below, The Athletic's Dermot Corrigan, Mario Cortegana and Conor O’Neill analyse the key talking points. Enjoy. GO FURTHER Real Madrid 2 Benfica 1 (3-1 agg): Vinicius Jr seals Madrid’s progress, but where was Mourinho? After the match, acting Benfica manager Joao Tralhao was asked about UEFA's provisional suspension of Gianluca Prestianni following Vinicius Jr's allegation of racist abuse from Prestianni in the first leg. ? “Prestianni was in the squad for a reason, waiting for a positive response to the appeal to UEFA. “Then we would have made a technical decision on whether he would play or not, which we didn't have to do. ” He was also asked about Arthur Cabral swapping shirts with Vinicius Jr. .. ? “I'm not going to comment on that either, because it's not something that concerns us. “What concerns us, what we're focused on, is the frustration that we didn't win and could have won. ” With Benfica manager Jose Mourinho suspended for the second leg tonight against Real Madrid, his assistant Joao Tralhao filled in both on the sidelines and in the post-match press conference. ? “Obviously, it wasn't a situation we wanted. Mourinho didn't want to be out of the game, and we think it's unfair. But we were perfectly coordinated, as always. “The decisions are always made by the coach, but they are always supported by the technical staff. I am here to represent the technical staff. From my point of view, the coordination was perfect. ” ? “It wasn't a personal issue, I'm not representing Joao here, but first and foremost the coach, the leader, Jose Mourinho, and Benfica. I'm happy to say that we work very well together and that he is one of the best coaches in the world. ” Finally, when asked whether Mourinho watched the game on the bus, he was coy. ? “You'll find out sooner or later. The important thing is that we've always been coordinated, not just today, but since the preparation phase. ” Even after his comments suggesting Vinicius Jr had incited his alleged racist abuse with his goal celebration at the Estadio da Luz, some Madrid fans went to Benfica’s hotel yesterday and today to try to greet Jose Mourinho, their team’s former coach. And everyone was waiting to see him again at the Bernabeu on matchday. That included the Spanish journalists. The stadium’s No 6 radio booth had been set up for the Portuguese manager and his assistants to follow the game. It has three seats and before kick-off was set up with an appetising spread for Mourinho and his team that included Serrano ham. There were so many reporters waiting to capture Mourinho’s arrival that several stadium employees kicked them out of that area at one point. But 40-50 continued to wait for the 63-year-old to appear, even after the match had started. Many of them remained there until after the 30-minute mark, following the game on television and through the sounds of the crowd. So, where was Mourinho? The question appeared to be finally answered by Spanish outlet Ok Diario, who reported that he had stayed behind on the Benfica team bus to watch the game. With several big-name absentees, it was little surprise that Real Madrid looked short of fluency in possession. Even allowing for those injuries, their setup felt particularly unusual, with players regularly appearing far outside their typical positions. Most striking was Carreras, with the left-back often stationed high on the touchline, crowding zones already occupied by his attacking team-mate Vinicius Jr. This forced centre-back Rudiger to shuffle across to left-back, with Tchouameni or Camavinga dropping into central defence. The team looked disjointed in this setup, but they leaned on a familiar attacking wrinkle to equalise: the cutback. They have now fashioned 33 chances from such situations, more than any other side in the Champions League. Mbappe has been the usual beneficiary, getting on the end of 12 of those cutbacks. In his absence, Tchouameni arrived instead, sweeping home Valverde’s pass from the edge of the area. It was their fourth goal from a cutback — also a tournament high. Even with a makeshift line-up, it bodes well for Madrid that they can call on this potent and reliable attacking weapon to dig them out of trouble. Real Madrid came into this game with a 1-0 advantage, knowing that keeping a clean sheet would send them through to the round of 16. Arbeloa had also been pleased at how solid and focused his team had been individually and collectively in last week’s first leg in Lisbon, especially after the chaotic defending in the 4-2 league-phase defeat to Benfica in January. So it was surprising to see just how shambolic Madrid’s defending was in the early stages tonight. Dedic was able to sprint right through the centre of the team twice in the opening 10 minutes, and Trent Alexander-Arnold was also nutmegged inside the area by Rafa Silva. Those warnings were not heeded, and the goal Madrid conceded with less than 15 minutes played was the result of a collective defensive breakdown. GO FURTHER Real Madrid 2 Benfica 1 (3-1 agg): Vinicius Jr seals Madrid’s progress, but where was Mourinho? Vinicius Jr was pretty quiet for most of the game, with Benfica’s impressive right-back, Amar Dedic, doing an excellent marking job, while the Brazil forward also had to deal with regular whistles from the 4, 000 travelling fans. But with 12 minutes left came a moment for the forward to really leave his mark on this contest at the Bernabeu. After a scramble in midfield, Federico Valverde won possession and fed the 25-year-old, who, for the first time in the game, had lots of space in front of him to attack. Vinicius Jr needed no second invitation, sprinting away from the last Benfica defender, Nicolas Otamendi, and clinically finishing with a low, side-footed shot out of the reach of goalkeeper Anatoliy Trubin. The goal was not as spectacular as his tremendous effort last week in Lisbon, but it was crucial and put Madrid in control of the tie. The celebration was very similar to last week, too, as he danced for joy at the corner flag before being mobbed by his team-mates. GO FURTHER Real Madrid 2 Benfica 1 (3-1 agg): Vinicius Jr seals Madrid’s progress, but where was Mourinho? It's only fitting, right? With his silky, curled finish in the 80th minute, Vinicius Jr propelled Real Madrid into the Champions League round of 16 and it was also a notable milestone for the Brazilian star. For the first time at the historic club, he has scored in both legs of a two-legged UEFA Champions League knockout tie. After allegedly being racially abused by Gianluca Prestianni during the first leg, Vinicius Jr delivered the dagger to bounce Benfica out of the Champions League tonight. He made sure to hit a little dance by the corner flag afterwards, too. To say that Thibaut Courtois is Real Madrid's most consistent player (if not the best) this season is not far from the truth. It was a thriller in Turin with Juventus batting back from 5-2 down after the first leg to lead 3-0 after 90 minutes in their home leg and force extra time. But Galatasaray rallied and capitalised on the earlier sending off of Juventus defender Lloyd Kelly to claim their place in the last 16. Victor Osimhen restored the Turkish side's lead at the end of the first period of extra time before Barıs Alper Yilmaz struck a minute from the end to give his side a 7-5 aggregate win. Trent Alexander-Arnold and Real Madrid are into the last 16 but it was a tough night defensively for the England international. Statistics show the England international lost all six of his defensive duels against Benfica. He has always been better going forwards than when defending but if his side reach the later stages of the competition he will need to be better in one-on-one duels. Real Madrid have opened disciplinary proceedings after a fan was caught on camera allegedly performing a Nazi salute before their Champions League tie against Benfica. Madrid confirmed a supporter in the Grada Fan section, located in the south side of the Bernabeu, had been identified by security staff and ejected before kick-off after footage emerged of him appearing to make the gesture. Unlike in European countries including Germany and Italy, where a Nazi salute is considered a criminal offence, the gesture alone is not in Spain. However, it can be punishable by law if accompanied by other acts which constitute a hate crime. We mentioned this before kick-off, but the defeat for Benfica tonight means that Jose Mourinho has now lost 10 consecutive knockout ties in the Champions League, a losing streak which stretches back more than a decade. He was front-and-center of this tie, but hardly for the right reasons — sent off in the first leg and subsequently banned from the touchline for the second. Team Stats RMA SLB Game Details