Vinicius Sends Real Madrid to Champions League Last 16

Vinicius Junior secures win for Real Madrid

Real Madrid beat Benfica 2-1 (3-1 agg) to reach Champions League last 16, Vinicius Junior scores winner. Vinicius Junior's stunning strike sends Madrid through to UCL last 16.

Real Madrid overcomes Benfica 2-1, secures spot in Champions League round of 16...

Real Madrid secured their spot in the Champions League last 16 with a 2-1 win over Benfica, capping off a 3-1 aggregate victory. The match was intense, with Vinicius Junior scoring the decisive goal to seal their win.

The game was overshadowed by the controversy surrounding Vinicius and Benfica's Gianluca Prestianni, who was suspended for this match due to allegations of racial abuse. Despite this, Vinicius delivered a standout performance, scoring the winner and celebrating with his signature dance.

Real Madrid confirm their spot in the round of 16 ✅#UCL pic.twitter.com/izeXnLzXUR

— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) February 25, 2026

Benfica took an early lead through Rafa Silva, but Real Madrid quickly equalized with Aurelien Tchouameni's goal. Vinicius's late strike secured the win, sending Real Madrid to the next round.

Vinícius' pre-match goal had put Real Madrid ahead, but their lead was looking shaky after a shaky start. By the 14th minute, the scores were level.

Rafa Silva gave the visitors the lead with a deserved goal. Raúl Asencio's slide led to Vangelis Pavlidis' cut-back, and though Courtois initially saved, Silva pounced on the loose ball.

Real Madrid get the job done ⚪✅#UCL pic.twitter.com/25s07nu20r

— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) February 25, 2026

Real Madrid fought back, and it was Aurélien Tchouaméni who equalized with a brilliant first-time finish. He latched onto Federico Valverde's cross, and the scores were level again.

Arda Güler thought he'd given Real Madrid the lead with a quick finish, but the goal didn't stand. VAR flagged an offside, and it was a fraction of a second too late for the celebration.

This match was being played at a breathless pace, and Real were indebted to Courtois for a superb stop to parry away Richard Ríos’ strike towards the end of an absorbing first half.

The end-to-end nature of this gripping contest continued after the break, as Trent Alexander-Arnold weaved his way into the box and shot wide of the far post, while Silva’s deflected strike clipped the bar.

The hosts were looking far from convincing, and were playing with fire when Pavlidis’ strike deflected inches wide of the post

The game took a worrying turn when Asencio was stretchered off after a nasty collision with Eduardo Camavinga. Real needed a boost, and they got it from Vinícius.

Vinícius latched onto Valverde's through ball, opened up his body, and caressed a fine right-footed finish past Trubin.

Benfica's Silva was still causing trouble, nearly diverting Andreas Schjelderup's cross at the far post, but Álvaro Carreras intervened to prevent disaster. It was a rare moment of quality in an otherwise scrappy game.

Álvaro Arbeloa's side had secured their spot in the last 16, marking their 23rd consecutive season in the Champions League since 1996/97.

🏆 M V P 🏆 pic.twitter.com/Z6bQJeQxo0

— Real Madrid C.F. 🇬🇧🇺🇸 (@realmadriden) February 25, 2026

José Mourinho's struggles continue, with no wins in his last 10 Champions League knockout games (D4, L6). Benfica's loss adds to their poor record, having lost eight of their last nine European knockout ties at home after losing the first leg.