Real Madrid Edge Benfica 2-1 to Seal Champions League Knockout Spot

Real Madrid beat Benfica 2-1 at the Santiago Bernabeu on Wednesday to advance 3-1 on aggregate into the Champions League round of 16. Aurelien Tchouameni equalised in the 16th minute after Rafa Silva’s opener, and Vinicius Junior scored the winner on 80 minute. It was Real Madrid’s 23rd consecutive qualification to the last 16 since the round was introduced in 2003-04, a record no other club has matched.

Match Overview

Benfica Strike First, Madrid Respond Immediately

Benfica got the first goal in the 14th minute. Vangelis Pavlidis crossed from the right, Raul Asencio’s attempted clearance deflected the ball toward his own net, and Thibaut Courtois stopped it on the line. Rafa Silva converted the rebound from close range. It was Rafa’s 10th Champions League goal for Benfica — only the second player to reach that mark for the club after Oscar Cardozo. The aggregate score was level at 1-1, and Benfica needed one more to go through.

Madrid levelled on the night two minutes later. Federico Valverde drove down the right and cut the ball back to the edge of the area. Tchouameni arrived to side-foot a clean finish into the bottom corner — his first Champions League goal in 39 appearances in the competition.

SUGGESTED READ: UEFA Nations League 2026–27 Draw: Full League Phase Groups, Teams & Match Schedule Details

Madrid Survives Benfica Pressure

Benfica did not sit off after falling behind on aggregate again. Richard Rios forced a strong save from Courtois before half-time. Around the 60th minute, Rafa Silva struck the ball from the edge of the area with the outside of his right foot. The shot deflected off Asencio and came back off the crossbar — the closest Benfica came to a second goal. In the 32nd minute, Arda Güler put a loose ball into the net, but VAR disallowed it because Gonzalo Garcia was offside in the build-up.

Asencio was stretchered off in the 76th minute after an aerial collision with Eduardo Camavinga. Nine minutes of added time followed. Benfica, still one goal away from forcing extra time, kept pressing but could not find a clear sight of goal in the closing stages.

Mourinho’s Return Ends in Defeat

Jose Mourinho watched from the directors’ box, serving a one-match touchline ban after being sent off by referee Francois Letexier in the first leg in Lisbon. It was his first time back at the Bernabeu as an opposing coach since leaving Real Madrid in June 2013, a stint in which he won La Liga, the Copa del Rey, and the Supercopa de España.

His side created enough across two legs to make it a genuine contest. Benfica finished the second leg with an xG of 1.98 from 12 attempts — more than Madrid’s 1.11 from 14 shots. The loss extended Mourinho’s run to ten consecutive games without a win in Champions League knockout football, the longest such streak by any manager in the competition. He won the tournament with Porto in 2004 and Inter Milan in 2010 but has not advanced through a knockout tie since.

Valverde was the most influential player on the pitch. He assisted both Madrid goals — the cutback that set up Tchouameni and the through ball that led to Vinicius’s winner.

Vinicius Delivers When It Matters Most

The evening belonged to Vinicius Junior. The 25-year-old Brazilian had been at the center of a storm all week following an incident in the first leg where Benfica’s Gianluca Prestianni allegedly directed racist abuse at him — a charge Prestianni denies, with UEFA still investigating.

On the night, Vinicius answered every boo from the travelling Benfica support with the only currency that matters in knockout football: a goal. In the 80th minute, Federico Valverde split the Benfica defense with a precise through ball, and Vinicius stayed calm to roll a low shot past goalkeeper Anatoliy Trubin. He then danced by the corner flag — the same celebration that sparked controversy in Lisbon — this time to the delight of the home crowd.

It was the decisive moment in a match that Benfica had refused to make easy.

Teams

Arbeloa named a 4-4-2: Courtois; Alexander-Arnold, Asencio, Rudiger, Carreras; Valverde, Tchouameni, Camavinga, Güler; Garcia, Vinicius. Arda Güler started on his 21st birthday and made his 100th appearance for the club.

Mourinho lined up Benfica in a 4-2-3-1: Trubin; Bah, Otamendi, Araujo, Carreras; Barreiro, Rios; Schjelderup, Rafa Silva, Akturkoglu; Pavlidis.

What Comes Next

Real Madrid will find out their round-of-16 opponents at a draw ceremony in Nyon on Friday, February 27. They will face either Sporting CP or Manchester City. Benfica, despite an impressive performance over two legs, exits at the playoff stage.

For more football news, updates, and developments, visit Jeetwin Sports!