JAKARTA - Real Madrid was forced to work hard again and conceded a goal first before defeating Benfica 2-1 in the second playoff of the Champions League. Victory in the duel at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium, Madrid, Thursday, February 26, 2026 WIB brought Madrid to the 16th place and eliminated Benfica.
The match was marked by anti-racism chants when Madrid hosted Benfica. In one corner of the stands at the Madrid pride stadium, a giant banner reading 'not to racism' was stretched.
The reason for the incident last week was when Madrid forward Vinicius Junior was the victim of racism from Benfica player Gianluca Prestianni in the first match. Prestianni said 'mon..y' to what Vinicius Jr and several Madrid players heard. As a result, the referee stopped the match, which was held at Benfica's home.
UEFA also investigated the incident, which resulted in a one-match ban for Prestianni. As a result, the Argentine player was absent in the second match against Madrid even though the investigation into the racial incident was not yet complete.
Benfica also could not be accompanied by coach Jose Mourinho who for the first time returned to his former club which he had handled in 2010 to 2013. Mourinho, who was tasked with stopping Barcelona's dominance under Pep Guardiola, received a red card in the first match which Madrid won 1-0.
Even though they were not accompanied by Mourinho, Benfica was able to force Madrid to work hard. This elite club in Portugal is not afraid to play openly and create a number of opportunities in the early minutes of the match.
Not only that, Benfica supporters also dared to chant Vinicius Jr even though they were at the opponent's home. The Brazilian national team forward again duet with Gonzalo Garcia who replaced Kylian Mbappe who was injured.
Benfica's fans' antics didn't last long. However, they then cheered with joy when midfielder Rafa Silva successfully broke into the Madrid goal in the 14th minute. The goal started from the mistake of defender Raul Asencio who wanted to cut off a cross from the right side of the Madrid defense.
However, Asencio's action actually made the ball go into the goal and almost created a suicide goal. Fortunately, goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois managed to stop it. However, the ball then rebounded which was immediately taken by Rafa Silva who was in front of the Los Merengues goal.
The goal difference made Madrid fall behind 1-0. Alvaro Arbeloa's team was stung and immediately bounced back. They attacked Benfica's defense with an offensive game. As a result, the record holder of the 15-time Champions League champion did not take long to equalize the score.
Only two minutes later, midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni was able to equalize the score. The goal came when Madrid made the transition from defense to attack.
The ball was then controlled by captain Federico Valverde and from the left side of Benfica's defense he sent a cross to the middle. Tchouameni received the ball who calmly took a hard shot that broke the opponent's goal.
The score changed 1-1 and Madrid was more aggressive pressing Benfica's defense. In the 32nd minute, young player Arda Guler managed to score a goal that gave Madrid a 2-1 lead. Guler took advantage of a loose ball after Garcia's shot was blocked. However, after being reviewed by VAR, Guler was declared offside so that his goal was annulled.
The score remained 1-1 and there were no additional goals. Benfica player Richard Rios almost broke Madrid's goal. It's just that Courtois made a brilliant save before the first half ended.
Entering the second half, Madrid continued to play offensively. However, there was an incident between the Madrid players. Asensio collided with his own teammate Eduardo Camavinga when both of them wanted to take the ball over. As a result, Asencio received treatment and was then pulled out.
Madrid then returned to pressure. The host's second goal wait finally came when Vinicius Jr, who received a breakthrough ball from Valverde, made a solo run from the middle of the field.
Even though he was escorted by a Benfica player, he was still able to sprint with the ball and then deliver a hard shot that goalkeeper Anatoly Trubin failed to save.
Vinicius Jr again celebrated the goal that was created in the 80th minute as he did in the first match. The score changed to 2-1 for Madrid and lasted until the end of the match.
The result gave Madrid a 3-1 aggregate lead and qualified for the last 16 to meet another Portuguese team, Sporting Lisbon or Manchester City.
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