Real Madrid Vs Benfica: real madrid vs benfica second-leg update and team news
The Champions League play-off second leg between Real Madrid and Benfica continued to produce controversy and injury concerns. real madrid vs benfica will be decided at the Bernabeu with Kylian Mbappe ruled out and Benfica’s Gianluca Prestianni suspended for the match.
Match events at the Bernabeu
The Portuguese giants travelled to the Bernabeu for a contest described as an open, brilliant first half in which both teams created opportunities with ease. Benfica took the lead after Silva poked home from close range following a fine save by Courtois, but that lead lasted less than three minutes as Tchouameni fired home from the edge of the area.
Los Blancos appeared to have retaken the lead when Guler scored what would have been his first Champions League goal, but the effort was disallowed after Garcia was judged to have been offside in the build-up. Madrid won a free kick on the left late in the half; after numerous tussles in the box, Alexander-Arnold took it and tried to curl the ball towards the near post, only for Benfica to defend it well. That was the last action of the half.
Half-time: Real Madrid 1-1 Benfica (2-1 on aggregate). The match scoreboard also coexisted with the earlier match state that Madrid are leading 1-0 after a fractious first leg in Lisbon, a tie that has seen significant off-field fallout.
Key moments and minute details
In the closing stages of the opening 45 minutes Madrid were laying siege on the Benfica goal. Valverde attempted a volley from the edge of the area but the ball was blocked by two deflections (45+1 mins). Guler, who had his goal disallowed, went close after good work from Valverde: the Turkish midfielder picked up the ball in the box, shifted onto his left foot and tried to curl an effort past Trubin, only for Otamendi to deflect it away (43 mins).
Match commentary noted that the first goal was the only score among other games being played that night.
Suspension and abuse allegations
The build-up has been overshadowed by an incident from the previous meeting. The first leg in Lisbon saw goalscorer Vinícius Júnior accuse Benfica’s Argentine winger Gianluca Prestianni of racist abuse. The alleged comment halted the game for around ten minutes before play continued. Prestianni, described in reports as 20 years old, has been provisionally suspended for the second leg while investigations by Uefa are ongoing; he has denied racially abusing Vinicius and has claimed to have been misheard.
Prestianni trained with his teammates on the Bernabeu pitch on Tuesday ahead of Wednesday’s match, but he will not be able to take part in the game unless Benfica’s appeal against his suspension is upheld.
Mbappe, Bellingham and Rodrygo absences
Kylian Mbappe will miss Real Madrid’s Champions League play-off second leg with Benfica with a knee injury. The France captain has been nursing a knee problem which has kept him out of several matches over the past three months. Jude Bellingham remains unavailable due to a hamstring injury, while forward Rodrygo is serving a two-match suspension for insulting a match official during the 4–2 loss to Benfica in the group stage.
Mbappe publicly backed Vinicius’s claim of hearing Prestianni use racist language and added: "Prestianni shouldn’t come to the Bernabeu, the best stadium in the world, he doesn't deserve it, he shouldn't play. "
Betting, form and referee profile
Pre-match betting coverage suggested a 1. 5pt tip on "A penalty awarded in the match" at 7/4. Real Madrid were listed at 1/2 to win in 90 minutes and were described as heavy favourites for qualification given their current lead and home advantage. The Spanish outfit have won 14 of their last 16 in front of their own supporters, while Benfica's recent away form was characterised as patchy.
The betting argument noted a high number of penalties for both sides: across Benfica's last 15 matches a penalty was awarded in eight, seven of which were in their favour; the same eight-in-15 figure applied to Real Madrid. One of those matches was the 4-2 win to Benfica in the league stage. Real were said to sit second to Newcastle for penalties scored in this season's competition, having taken the lead in that tally thanks to two converted penalties against Qarabag.
Referee Slavko Vincic has been cited as having awarded 12 penalties across 23 games this season, giving a penalty in 39% of his outings; for context the Premier League average was around 21% last season. Given the significance of a close tie in the second leg, the pre-match view sided with one of the teams being given a chance from the spot.
Gambling support and media notes
Pre-match commentary advised safer gambling practices, recommending bets to over-18s and encouraging readers to wager only what they can afford to lose. If concerned about gambling, readers were directed to call the National Gambling Helpline / GamCare on 0808 8020 133. Further support and information were listed as available from recognised gambling support organisations.
Reports also noted that Jose Mourinho would not face the media before the game and that the preview of the tie had recalled the unbelievable scenes surrounding Benfica's league-stage triumph over Real Madrid just weeks earlier, an event described as an all-time great Champions League moment.
Closing: The second-leg showdown at the Bernabeu combines on-field swings—Benfica’s early strike, Tchouameni’s equaliser, Guler’s disallowed goal—and off-field developments, including Mbappe’s knee injury, Prestianni’s suspension and the referee profile, leaving qualification finely poised.
