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UCL Champions League Play-Offs Vinicius Junior celebrates his late goal against Benfica Angel Martinez via Getty Images Vinicius Junior sealed Real Madrid’s progress to the Champions League round of 16, but they did not have it all their own way against Benfica. The sides were meeting a week after a dramatic play-off first leg at the Estadio da Luz in Lisbon, in which Vinicius Jr alleged he was racially abused by Benfica’s Argentine winger Gianluca Prestianni (which Prestianni and Benfica both deny). Prestianni was absent from this second leg after being provisionally suspended “without prejudice” by UEFA, with the investigation ongoing. Advertisement Benfica coach Jose Mourinho was also nowhere to be seen on the sidelines in what was his first return to the Bernabeu since his spell as Madrid coach from 2010 to 2013. The Portuguese coach had been shown a red card in that first game between the teams for protests on the touchline, after which he courted controversy for his comments on Vinicius Jr. The Portuguese side caused an early shock in the Spanish capital when they went ahead in the 14th minute. Raul Asencio almost turned a cross into his own net, forcing Thibaut Courtois into a fine save, before Rafa Silva put Benfica in front on the night. But Madrid’s response was quick, Aurelien Tchouameni sweeping home his first Champions League goal from just inside the area two minutes later. Arda Guler appeared to have put Alvaro Arbeloa’s side in full control in the 32nd minute when he finished from close range, but Gonzalo Garcia was judged to have been offside in the build-up. Benfica kept pushing, with Courtois making another great save from Richard Rios before half-time and then Silva hitting the bar with an outside-of-the-boot finish that deflected off Asencio in the 60th minute. Centre-back Asencio had to be taken off on a stretcher late on after falling awkwardly. It ended up being the only worry on a night that ended with Vinicius Jr slotting home Madrid’s second of the night in the 80th minute — and celebrating in much the same fashion as he had at the Estadio da Luz. Here, Dermot Corrigan, Mario Cortegana and Conor O’Neill analyse the key talking points. 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 Benfica fans. Advertisement 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. Given everything that happened in Lisbon, and since then, it was a special moment for Vinicius Jr. It was also the first time he had scored in both legs of a two-legged Champions League knockout tie, which seemed to be excellent timing. Dermot Corrigan 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.   Advertisement Eduardo Camavinga, Alvaro Carreras and Antonio Rudiger were all caught out by Dedic’s latest run and pass. Asencio stuck out a boot from the resulting cross, and Courtois had to make a fantastic save to prevent an own goal. Silva was then ahead of Alexander-Arnold to pounce and make it 1-1 on aggregate. Even after Arbeloa’s side had responded impressively through Tchouameni’s goal to take the lead once again in the tie, their back four continued to struggle. Before half-time, Asencio allowed Andreas Schjelderup to advance towards goal much too easily. Courtois was then forced into another excellent stop from Rios’ 15-yard shot along the ground. The Belgium goalkeeper’s heroics are nothing new, but he needs to be getting a lot more help from those in front of him.   There were further worries for Madrid after Asencio collided in mid-air with team-mate Camavinga and landed hard on the ground. After lengthy treatment, he left the pitch on a stretcher, wearing a neck brace. It meant rarely used veteran David Alaba had to come on for the last 15 minutes. Madrid managed to squeak past Benfica this time, but they are unlikely to go much further in the competition unless Arbeloa can sort their defensive problems out. Dermot Corrigan It was as if there were two games tonight — one on the pitch, and one in the bowels of the stadium with Mourinho as the star of the show. 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 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 between 40 and 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. Advertisement So, where was Mourinho? The question appeared to be finally answered by Spanish outlet Ok Diario, who reported that Mourinho had stayed behind on the Benfica team bus to watch the game. In his post-match press conference, Mourinho’s assistant Joao Tralhao was asked whether the coach had watched the game from the bus and said: “You’ll find out sooner or later”. All these years later, Mourinho still has the ability to steal the spotlight at the Bernabeu. Mario Cortegana With several big-name absentees — including Kylian Mbappe, who missed this game with discomfort in his left knee — 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. For UK viewers… Real Madrid respond immediately with an exquisite finish from Aurelien Tchouameni ? @tntsports & @discoveryplus UK pic. twitter. com/u KDAL8b Di0 — Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) February 25, 2026 For U. S. viewers… 14' Real Madrid 0-1 Benfica16' Real Madrid 1-1 Benfica This game is heating up ? pic. twitter. com/e8f HB6XDRq — CBS Sports Golazo ⚽️ (@CBSSports Golazo) February 25, 2026 It is possible that Arbeloa’s unconventional setup was designed to generate overloads to facilitate these cutback situations. That pattern appeared later in the first half, when Carreras darted to the far flank, opening space for Valverde to collect near the byline again. This time, the cutback dropped to Guler, whose shot was deflected wide. Advertisement 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. Conor O’Neill “I was obviously delighted with the great goal he scored, ” Arbeloa said of Vinicius Jr’s effort. “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. ” The Madrid head coach was also asked whether it was harder to win without Mbappe and said: “Of course it is, without Mbappe, (Jude) Bellingham, Rodrygo, (Eder) Militao (all of whom are also injured)… All of them are very important and fundamental players, of a very high standard. That’s why it’s so important to have got through today, it strengthens the group. ” He added on Mbappe: “Yesterday he had to leave training and it’s true that on other days he has felt discomfort and we decided to play, but after yesterday’s training we spoke with the doctors, as did he, and we decided that 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. “It’s hard to tell the difference between discomfort and injury. Obviously, when someone isn’t playing, it’s because they’re injured. We can call it an injury. 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. ” Getafe (home), La Liga, Monday March 2, 9pm local time (8pm UK; 3pm ET) Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms Play today's puzzle