Real Madrid Vs Benfica — Vinícius has last word as real madrid vs benfica wrap up victory

Vinícius Júnior’s late goal sealed a 2-1 second-leg win and a 3-1 aggregate success as real madrid vs benfica finished in Madrid, sending Real Madrid into the Champions League last 16. The strike, and the reaction around it, closed a night that combined a dramatic turnaround on the pitch with unresolved tensions off it.

Vinícius’s finish at the Santiago Bernabéu put Madrid into the last 16

With 10 minutes left at the Santiago Bernabéu, Vinícius Júnior was set free to put the ball past Anatoliy Trubin and complete a 2-1 victory that made it 3-1 on aggregate. He ran to the corner and danced again, just as he had done in Lisbon a week earlier, and shook his hips before the flag the same way he had eight days earlier. Fans were described as released from their fears, applauding as passage to the last 16 was secured.

Real head coach Álvaro Arbeloa said, “I’m happy for him: he deserved it. ” Arbeloa also reflected on the draw possibilities, saying, “People are so used to seeing Madrid-City; what is it, six years? I’m sure it will happen again, ” and added, “Let’s see what the hot balls have waiting for us. ”

How Rafa Silva’s early goal and a sustained Benfica move opened the tie

Benfica took the lead early through Rafa Silva after an extended spell of possession that moved from their own area deep into Madrid’s. The sequence began with a diagonal ball from Fredrik Aursnes that opened the pitch, Amar Didic dashed inside, and Ricardo Rios’s sharp pass round the corner put Vangelis Pavlidis in. Pavlidis’s ball across was met by Raúl Asencio sliding in; a Madrid defender could only divert the ball toward his own goal. Thibaut Courtois saved the initial effort but Rafa Silva scrambled the ball over the line. High in the north stand there were 4, 000 Benfica fans who went wild.

Benfica had started well, moving through the middle with a degree of freedom and with Didic prominent. One run from Didic ended with Andreas Schjelderup hitting the side netting, and Silva had even toe-poked, futsal style, at Courtois before the opener.

Tchouaméni’s quick equaliser and a confusing second-half sequence

Two minutes after Benfica’s opener, Aurélien Tchouaméni got Madrid level, an equaliser that came within 165 seconds and restored a 2-1 advantage on aggregate. The match remained uneasy for Madrid thereafter; they did not feel safe until Vinícius’s late goal.

The context also includes an unfinished passage: “A gift from Nicolas Ot” followed the description of the equaliser sequence in the provided material, with the remainder unclear in the provided context.

Off-field issues: Prestianni’s suspension, Mourinho’s return and other reactions

The first leg in Lisbon had been overshadowed by allegations that Vinícius had been racially abused by Benfica’s Gianluca Prestianni. Prestianni was suspended and watched the second leg from the team hotel after Benfica’s appeal over his ban failed. José Mourinho was absent from the vantage point offered by Madrid — the home side had facilitated radio cabin No 6 on the eighth floor but he chose not to take it. Upon his return to the Santiago Bernabéu 13 years later, he followed the match from a quiet place lower in the stadium that was once his, with reports suggesting he had retreated to the team bus with an iPad; João Tralhão refused to confirm that, saying it did not matter and stressing that they had been in “synchronicity. ”

Tralhão said, “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, ” and described Courtois as a “giant” who had prevented the Portuguese side from taking a deserved prize. The match context also notes Kylian Mbappé as missing because of a knee injury.

What the result means and immediate aftermath

The 2-1 victory in Madrid completed a 3-1 aggregate win and sent Real Madrid into the Champions League last 16, where they will face either Sporting or Manchester City. Observers at the stadium saw a contrast between Benfica’s impressive performance and Madrid’s late relief; players and coaches on both sides expressed a mix of pride and frustration after the tie.

• Second-leg score: Real Madrid 2-1 Benfica (3-1 aggregate)
• Decisive goal: Vinícius Júnior, around 10 minutes from full time at the Santiago Bernabéu
• Benfica opener: Rafa Silva after a prolonged team move; 4, 000 Benfica fans in the north stand