Real Madrid Vs Benfica: Vinícius has last word as Madrid wrap up victory
Vinícius Júnior’s late strike settled the real madrid vs benfica tie at the Santiago Bernabéu, a 2-1 win on the night and 3-1 on aggregate that sent Real Madrid into the last 16 of the Champions League. The Brazilian’s corner celebration echoed the scenes from Lisbon a week earlier, this time amid full celebration and visible relief with 10 minutes left.
Real Madrid Vs Benfica match wrap
Vinícius Júnior ran to the corner and danced as he had done in Lisbon eight days earlier, having been set free to put the ball past Anatoliy Trubin. The score finished 2-1 here, 3-1 on aggregate, and Real Madrid will progress to face Sporting or Manchester City in the next round. The second leg had been tense: one-nil up from a first leg in Lisbon that had been overshadowed by allegations that Vinícius had been racially abused by Benfica’s Gianluca Prestianni, Madrid found themselves trailing early in the night before recovery.
Vinícius scored decisive late goal
With 10 minutes remaining, Vinícius finished to make the difference. The match had been level on aggregate after Aurélien Tchouaméni equalised within 165 seconds of Benfica’s opener, and the Brazilian’s late strike finally secured qualification. Vinicius Junior makes it 2-1 to Real Madrid (3-1 on aggregate) in the second leg of their UEFA Champions League play-off against Benfica.
Benfica’s strong start detailed
Benfica took the lead on 14 minutes through Rafa Silva after a prolonged move that began in their own area. Fredrik Aursnes released play wide, Amar Didic dashed inside, Ricardo Rios’s pass put Vangelis Pavlidis in, and Raúl Asencio’s sliding contact forced a save from Thibaut Courtois, with Rafa Silva scrambling the ball over the line. High in the north stand, 4, 000 Benfica fans reacted loudly. Benfica had started well, moving through the middle with freedom; one Didic run ended with Andreas Schjelderup hitting the side netting, and Silva had earlier toe-poked, futsal style, at Courtois.
Coaches, reactions and controversy
Real head coach Álvaro Arbeloa said: “I’m happy for him: he deserved it. ” Arbeloa also said: “People are so used to seeing Madrid-City; what is it, six years? I’m sure it will happen again. ” He added: “Let’s see what the hot balls have waiting for us. ” Benfica’s assistant João Tralhão said the team had been in “synchronicity” and offered his view of the night: “Mourinho and I were in contact and share the same feeling: frustration and pride, we think we could have won and could have gone through. ” Tralhão described Madrid’s goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois as a “giant” who had prevented the Portuguese side from taking a deserved prize.
Gianluca Prestianni watched the second leg from the team hotel after his appeal over a ban failed and he remained suspended for the second leg; investigations into the alleged incident are ongoing. The earlier game in Portugal had been halted for around ten minutes after an allegedly racist comment aimed at Vinícius Júnior by Prestianni. José Mourinho was absent from view during this match; Madrid had facilitated radio cabin No 6 on the eighth floor but he chose not to take up the offer. Upon his return to the Santiago Bernabéu 13 years later, reports suggested he followed the game from a quiet place lower in the stadium and had retreated to the team bus with an iPad, a claim João Tralhão refused to confirm but said it did not matter.
Betting notes and referee stats
A preview noted a 1. 5pts recommendation for a penalty awarded in the match at 7/4 and that Real were 1/2 to win in 90 minutes. The preview pointed to patterns: across Benfica’s last 15 matches a penalty has been awarded in eight — seven of those in Benfica’s favour — and the same eight-in-15 figure applies to Real Madrid. One of those matches was Benfica’s 4-2 league-stage win over Real. Real were said to sit second to Newcastle for penalties scored in this season’s competition, with two converted penalties cited in the Qarabag match as how they took the lead in that tally.
The referee Slavko Vincic was noted as having awarded 12 penalties across 23 games this season, with a penalty given in 39% of his outings; for context, the Premier League average was about 21% last season. The preview concluded that, given the tight tie and Vincic’s tendencies, one of the teams was likely to be given a chance from the spot.
One passage in the match report ends mid-sentence as “A gift from Nicolas Ot” — unclear in the provided context.
Recommended bets were advised to over-18s and readers were strongly encouraged to wager only what they can afford to lose. For those concerned about gambling, the National Gambling Helpline / GamCare number given in the preview was 0808 8020 133, and further support was referenced from BeGambleAware and Gambling Therapy.
In short: Vinícius had the final say, the night closed 2-1 and 3-1 on aggregate, and Real Madrid progress to the Champions League last 16.
