Real Madrid Vs Benfica: Vinicius seals last-16 place amid racism controversy

The Champions League tie between Real Madrid and Benfica ended with a 2-1 win on the night for the Spanish side and a 3-1 aggregate victory. The return leg and the tie as a whole carried heavy significance after an allegation of racial abuse in the first leg and a subsequent provisional suspension that ruled Gianluca Prestianni out of the second match.

Real Madrid players put results on the board — Tchouameni equaliser and Vinicius winner

Aurelien Tchouameni opened the scoring for Real Madrid with a powerful strike from distance that put Madrid back in charge after Benfica had taken the lead. Vinicius Jr added the decisive goal late in the match, netting at around the 80th minute to seal the tie. The Spanish side came from 1-0 down on the night to win 2-1 and progress 3-1 on aggregate.

Vinicius had also scored the only goal in the first leg, and celebrated both goals with the same dance by the corner flag; after the return-leg strike he posted on social media that "the dance goes on. " Former Chelsea forward Joe Cole commented that "He was brilliant over both legs" and that "His finish was superb. " Real Madrid boss Alvaro Arbeloa said he reacted "with joy obviously, for the great goal he scored, and because it was him, he deserves it. "

Allegation, denial and provisional suspension for Gianluca Prestianni

Vinicius Jr alleged he was racially abused by Benfica's Gianluca Prestianni during the first leg. Prestianni denied racially abusing the Brazilian. UEFA imposed a provisional sanction on Prestianni on Monday that ruled him out of the return leg; the Argentinian winger had travelled to Madrid with the Benfica squad but did not play and was handed a one-match ban that meant he missed Wednesday's return match.

Benfica appealed the decision to ban Prestianni, but UEFA dismissed the Portuguese club's case on Wednesday afternoon. UEFA said, "Mr Gianluca Prestianni remains provisionally suspended for the next UEFA club competition match for which he would otherwise be eligible. " UEFA also appointed an ethics and disciplinary investigator (EDI) following the first leg and made a swift decision. The organisation said the imposition of the provisional suspension was "without prejudice to any ruling that the UEFA disciplinary bodies may subsequently make following the conclusion of the ongoing investigation and its respective submission to the UEFA disciplinary bodies. "

How the first leg unfolded in Lisbon and the 10-minute stoppage

In the first leg in Lisbon, Vinicius gave Real the lead five minutes into the second half with a curled finish from a tight angle. After celebrating, he became suddenly and visibly upset about something said to him and immediately informed the referee; the Brazilian left the field and refused to return, prompting a stoppage that lasted around 10 minutes. That halt in play came after the alleged comment by Prestianni, which led UEFA to open an investigation.

Benfica boss Jose Mourinho was roundly criticised for his comments about the incident after the game and did not conduct the usual pre-match press conference before the return leg.

Support at the Santiago Bernabeu and player reactions

Real fans held up banners with messages of support for Vinicius before kick-off at the Santiago Bernabeu. A banner with the words "no to racism" in Spanish was displayed in the stands before kick-off, and as the players took the field two forceful messages — "No to racism" and "Respect" — were read out. Midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni said the club's win was "a victory for everyone who stands against racism, " and added, "I think there are more important things than this match, than football. " He also said, "Vinicius keeps his confidence and he keeps focused on what he needs to do, " and that "I think they made the right decision by not letting the boy [Prestianni] play this match. "

England defender Trent Alexander-Arnold described Vinicius as "very chilled" and "very relaxed" before the fixture and said, "He didn't need to score to send a message or show his mentality. He doesn't need to prove anything to anyone because he's shown time and time again how good he is. He steps up when we need him the most. He knows his quality and what he brings to the team. "

Wider context: qualification, opponents and betting notes

Real Madrid book their place in the last 16 of the Champions League and will face either Sporting Lisbon or Man City in the next round. Vinicius started the return leg for Real eight days after the first leg in Lisbon.

Pre-match previews had noted Benfica's recent league-stage triumph over Real Madrid weeks earlier and judged Real heavy favourites for qualification given their lead and home advantage. The Spanish side were noted as 1/2 to win in 90 minutes in those previews and were said to have won 14 of their last 16 matches at home; Benfica's recent away form was described as patchy. Betting previews also highlighted penalty trends: across Benfica's last 15 matches a penalty had been awarded in eight — seven in their favour — and the same eight-in-15 statistic applied to Real Madrid. One of those matches was a 4-2 Benfica win in the league stage. Real were identified as second to Newcastle for penalties scored in this season's competition, helped by two converted against Qarabag. Referee Slavko Vincic was noted as having awarded 12 penalties across 23 games this season, with a penalty given in 39% of his outings compared with a Premier League average of around 21% the previous season. A suggested bet in previews was 7/4 for a penalty to be awarded in the match.

Previews also included responsible-gambling advice and offered a helpline number for those concerned: call 0808 8020 133.