Real Madrid defeated Benfica 2-1 on Wednesday night and 3-1 on aggregate to book their place in the UEFA Champions League Round of 16. But the score does not tell the full story of how dramatic the match was.

Benfica started strongly and shocked the home crowd in the 14th minute. Rafa Silva scored the opener. However, the response from Madrid was immediate. Just two minutes later, Aurelien Tchouameni scored with a precise shot from the edge. The goal restored Madrid’s aggregate lead and brought life back to Bernabeu.

The game continued at a high tempo. Arda Guler scored in the 32nd minute, but the goal was disallowed for a very close offside. Benfica kept fighting and even hit the crossbar later in the second half. Madrid also suffered a big blow when Raul Asencio had to be taken off on a stretcher after a painful aerial clash with teammate Eduardo Camavinga.

Then came the moment that many were waiting for. Vinicus Junior’s revenge moment after all the controversy and tension from the first leg. In the 80th minute, Federico Valverde provided a perfect assist to Vini Jr on the counterattack. The Brazilian winger curled a beautiful shot into the bottom corner to make it 2-1. It was his second goal of the tie, after scoring the winner in the first leg as well.

This goal felt special because Vinicius had alleged that he was racially abused by Benfica’s Gianluca Prestianni in the first leg, an accusation that Prestianni denied. UEFA later suspended Prestianni for this match after his appeal was dismissed. With everything that happened, Vinicius’ goal felt like a revenge on the pitch.

After the match, head coach Alvaro Arbeloa praised the Brazilian star. He said Vinicius deserved the goal and highlighted how important he has become for the team, especially in the absence of Kylian Mbappe.

“I’m happy for the great goal he scored, because he deserves it and for the form he’s in. Without Mbappé, he is even more important, and I’m very happy for him because I think he truly deserves it,” Arbeloa said after the match.

Meanwhile, Tchouameni, who was named Man of the Match, also spoke after the match. He said the team did not start well but always believed they would score. He added that the squad must defend better and start games stronger in the future.

“The truth is, we didn’t start the match very well, but we had the confidence that we would score goals. Then we did things a little better. Those who came on later and the young players from Castilla contributed very well to the match. Now we will keep moving forward. We need to adjust a bit how we defend and start matches better. In the end, we won, which is the most important thing,” Tchouameni said.

Real Madrid will now wait to see if they will face Sporting CP or Manchester City in the Champions League Round of 16, the draw for which will take place on Friday.

UEFA has provisionally suspended Benfica’s Gianluca Prestianni for one match after the Argentine winger was accused of directing a racist slur at Real Madrid forward Vinicius Junior during the Spanish side’s 1-0 Champions League playoff first-leg win, European football’s governing body said on Monday.

Prestianni will miss Wednesday’s return leg at the Santiago Bernabeu, with Real Madrid holding a 1-0 lead from the first leg in Lisbon.

Prestianni suspended by UEFA

The suspension is pending the outcome of the ongoing proceedings, as UEFA has appointed an Ethics and Disciplinary Inspector to investigate the allegations of discriminatory behaviour.

“This is 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. Further information about this matter will be made available in due course,” UEFA said in a statement.

The first leg was suspended for 11 minutes shortly
after Vinicius curled Real into the lead five minutes into the second half.

Television footage showed Prestianni covering his mouth with his shirt repeatedly before making comments that Vinicius and nearby teammates interpreted as a racial slur against the 25-year-old.

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Referee Francois Letexier halted the match after activating FIFA’s anti-racism protocols. The footage appeared to show Real forward Kylian Mbappe confronting Prestianni and calling him “a bloody racist” while images from the broadcast seemed to show Benfica fans imitating a monkey.

Prestianni denies allegation

Prestianni denied the allegation, saying Vinicius “misunderstood what he thinks he heard”.

Benfica, who last week said they stood by their player, issued a statement on Monday saying they “regret being deprived of the player while the case is still under investigation and will appeal UEFA’s decision”, though acknowledged the deadlines in question were unlikely to have any practical effect on the player being available for Wednesday’s match.

Mbappe told reporters he heard Prestianni direct the same racist remark at Vinicius several times, an allegation also made by Real’s French midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni.

Mbappe said he had been prepared to leave the pitch but was persuaded by Vinicius to continue playing.

“We cannot accept that there is a player in Europe’s top football competition who behaves like this. This guy (Prestianni) doesn’t deserve to play in the Champions League anymore,” Mbappe told reporters.

Vinicius later posted a statement on social media voicing his frustration.

“Racists are, above all, cowards. They need to cover their mouth with their shirt to show how weak they are. But they have the protection of others who, theoretically, have an obligation to punish them. Nothing that happened today is new in my life or my family’s life,” Vinicius wrote.

Anti-discriminatory body Kick It Out said focusing on Vinicius’ goal celebration instead of acknowledging the report was a “form of gaslighting” after Benfica coach Jose Mourinho said he thought Vinicius had incited the crowd.

“This approach not only harms the individual affected but also sends the wrong message to others around the world who may have experienced similar situations,” Kick It Out said.

Mourinho will not be on the bench for the second leg after receiving a red card for complaining in the first game.