Real Madrid confirmed their progression to the knockout stage with a win over Benfica at the Santiago Bernabeu, as Vinicius Jr once again proved decisive.
The Brazilian had dominated the pre-match conversation after claiming he was racially abused by Gianluca Prestianni during the first encounter between the sides, a game in which he netted the only goal.
Prestianni received a one-match suspension following the allegation and was absent for the return fixture. Before kick-off, supporters inside the stadium unveiled a banner reading “no to racism” in Spanish in a display of solidarity with Vinicius Jr.
Vinicius delivers decisive moment
Benfica started brightly and went in front after 14 minutes. Rafa Silva reacted quickest to a loose ball, converting after Thibaut Courtois had stopped Raul Asencio’s attempted clearance from ending up in his own net.
Their advantage was short-lived. Just two minutes later, Aurelien Tchouameni found the net with a superb effort from outside the penalty area, marking his first goal in the Champions League.
With Kylian Mbappe sidelined through injury, Madrid lacked some attacking sharpness, and Benfica continued to pose a danger as they chased a goal that would draw them level on aggregate.
However, with 10 minutes remaining, Vinicius Jr settled the contest. He drove a precise finish across the goalkeeper to secure a 3-1 aggregate triumph and extend his impressive run to six goals in five matches.
Madrid now awaits either Manchester City or Sporting in the last 16.