Real Madrid Vs Benfica: Vinícius Winner Sends 15-time Champions Through After Rafa Silva Shock
Real Madrid beat Benfica 2-1 on the night and 3-1 on aggregate, a result decided by Vinícius Júnior’s late strike that forced celebration and relief at the Santiago Bernabéu. The outcome in this real madrid vs benfica playoff places the 15-time European champions into the Champions League last 16 and came after an early, unexpected opener from Rafa Silva that had put Madrid on the back foot.
Vinícius Júnior’s late strike and celebration
With around 10 minutes remaining, Vinícius Júnior ran to the corner flag, danced and then slotted the ball past Anatoliy Trubin to make it 2-1 on the night and secure a 3-1 aggregate victory. Álvaro Arbeloa praised the forward’s character, saying “I’m happy for him: he deserved it. ” The goal ended a tense evening in which Madrid did not feel safe until the Brazilian’s decisive finish.
Rafa Silva’s opener and the Benfica attacking sequence
Benfica took the lead on 14 minutes through Rafa Silva after an extended passage of possession that moved from Benfica’s area deep into Madrid’s. A diagonal from Fredrik Aursnes stretched play, Amar Didic dashed inside, Ricardo Rios found Vangelis Pavlidis, and Pavlidis’s cut-back was met by Raúl Asencio. A Madrid defender only managed to divert the ball toward his own goal; Thibaut Courtois made a save but Rafa Silva scrambled the ball over the line. High in the north stand, 4, 000 Benfica fans erupted at the shock opening.
Aurélien Tchouaméni’s quick equaliser and the Nicolas Ot fragment
Two minutes after Benfica’s goal, Aurélien Tchouaméni levelled for Madrid, bringing the tie to 2-1 on aggregate within 165 seconds of the opener. The contest then settled into an uneasy rhythm until Vinícius’s late intervention. The match report also notes “A gift from Nicolas Ot” in the sequence that led to Madrid’s leveller; the text is incomplete in the provided material.
Gianluca Prestianni ban and José Mourinho’s absence
Benfica’s Gianluca Prestianni was given a provisional one-match ban over racism claims made by Vinícius and his appeal failed, meaning Prestianni watched from the team hotel rather than the bench. José Mourinho, making a return to the Santiago Bernabéu 13 years after leaving, did not occupy the radio cabin that had been offered on the eighth floor and was followed from a quieter perch lower in the stadium; reports suggested he had retreated to the team bus with an iPad. Assistant coach João Tralhão declined to confirm the detail, saying it did not matter and describing the squad as being in “synchronicity. ” Tralhão added that he and Mourinho shared “frustration and pride, ” believing Benfica could have won and progressed, and described Courtois as a “giant” who denied the Portuguese side a deserved prize.
Kylian Mbappé (knee) out and Madrid’s fixture calendar
Kylian Mbappé did not feature in the second leg because of ongoing left-knee discomfort that has affected him in recent months. The forward missed a LaLiga game with Real Sociedad on Feb. 14 and felt discomfort again in training on the Tuesday before the match. Club doctors had been managing the issue and Arbeloa said the decision not to play him “was a consensus between everyone, ” noting that they spoke with the player and believe it is best for him to stop, recover, and “come back at 100%. ” Arbeloa warned the layoff “won’t be a question of days” and that he could not say how long it would be.
Mbappé had played the entire first leg in Lisbon on Feb. 17, which Madrid won 1-0. The team’s immediate schedule after the Benfica tie includes a home match against Getafe on March 2 and a trip to Celta Vigo on March 7. The record in the provided material lists Mbappé’s season tallies as 23 goals in LaLiga and 13 in the Champions League. His left knee had caused problems before Christmas, he missed the Champions League match with Manchester City on Dec. 10, and in January he managed only a few minutes of the Spanish Supercopa; his movement appeared restricted in a recent 2-1 LaLiga defeat at Osasuna.
What the win means for Real Madrid and the draw
The victory sends Real Madrid into the last 16 and keeps them on course to face either Sporting or Manchester City. What makes this notable is how Madrid recovered from conceding early and navigated off-field controversies — a suspended opposing player and the absence of a high-profile manager in the stands — to progress. The sequencing is clear: Benfica’s early goal forced Madrid to respond, Tchouaméni’s rapid equaliser restored aggregate control, and Vinícius’s late finish converted that control into passage to the knockout stage.
