Vinicius Junior netted a stunning second-half goal to hand Real Madrid victory over Benfica in the first leg of their Champions League play-off, in a contest interrupted for 10 minutes following allegations of racist abuse.
The decisive moment arrived five minutes after the interval at the Estadio da Luz, when the Brazilian forward curled a superb effort beyond Anatoliy Trubin to give the visitors the advantage.
Earlier, Vinicius had fired just wide after being released by Trent Alexander-Arnold, whose incisive pass found Federico Valverde in space during a lively opening spell.
Real goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois was also called into action before the breakthrough, producing a strong save to deny Fredrik Aursnes as both teams searched for the opening goal.
Tensions rise after goal celebration
After scoring, Vinicius received a yellow card for an over-the-top celebration. He then became involved in a heated exchange with Benfica’s Gianluca Prestianni and approached referee Francois Letexier while gesturing toward the Argentine winger.
Shortly afterwards, Vinicius walked off the field, with his teammates following, leading to a 10-minute suspension of the match before play resumed.
The game’s intensity continued late on, as Benfica manager Jose Mourinho was shown two yellow cards in the 85th minute, ruling him out of the return leg at the Santiago Bernabeu next Wednesday.
With the earlier stoppage taken into account, officials added 12 minutes of time at the end. During that extended period, an object thrown from the stands struck Vinicius on the arm while he was preparing to take a corner.
Real dominate after the break
Before halftime, Kylian Mbappe came close to connecting with another inviting delivery from Alexander-Arnold, who completed the full match.
Mbappe later shot over the bar after being set up by a clever backheel from Vinicius and was subsequently denied by Trubin, who also kept out Arda Guler as Benfica held firm until the interval.
Following Vinicius’ superb finish, the hosts offered little threat to Courtois’ goal, allowing Real to secure an impressive away performance.
The teams had met in Lisbon just 19 days earlier in the league phase, when Trubin headed in an 89th-minute equaliser that secured Benfica the final playoff berth on goal difference.