Champions League Briefing: Vinicius keeps dancing (and scoring). What were PSG fans thinking with Hakimi banner?

By Daniel Taylor

Madrid – The Bernabéu soundtrack has changed little down the decades, but on Tuesday night it carried a fresh, defiant beat: the samba shuffle of Vinícius Júnior. The Brazilian’s 73rd-minute goal sealed Real Madrid’s 3-1 aggregate win over Benfica, booked a place in Friday’s last-16 draw and, far more importantly in the moment, served as a personal rebuttal to a week of accusation and acrimony.

Vinícius collected a pass on the left corner of the box, opened his hips and curled a low shot beyond Anatoliy Trubin. Then came the celebration that lit up social media within seconds: a sprint to the corner flag, hips swivelling, arms pumping, the full dance repertoire on display. It was choreographed joy aimed as much at the critics as the Madrid faithful. One suspects José Mourinho, banned and watching from the Benfica team bus after refusing a prepared radio booth, would have recognised the message.

The goal ended Benfica’s hopes and extended Mourinho’s personal Champions League knockout misery to ten successive ties without victory. It also closed the book, for now, on the controversy that erupted in Lisbon when Vinícius and teenage winger Gianluca Prestianni clashed. Uefa is still investigating whether Prestianni used a racial slur; nothing has been proven, though Kylian Mbappé told French radio he heard “monkey” repeated five times. Prestianni denies any wrongdoing. Vinícius answered with football.

Elsewhere, the competition served up two ties that will live long in the memory. Atalanta, Italy’s solitary survivor, looked dead after losing the first leg 2-0 to Borussia Dortmund. Inside 57 minutes in Bergamo they led 3-0, Dortmund shell-shocked by a blur of Argentine pressing and German errors. Karim Adeyemi’s away goal levelled the aggregate, extra-time beckoned, then came the mayhem: three red cards in half a minute – substitutes’ benches included – a VAR review that replays suggest was harsh on Ramy Bensebaini, a bloody head bandage for Nikola Krstovic, and Lazar Samardzic’s ice-cool 98th-minute penalty that made it 4-3 on the night, 5-4 on aggregate. The stadium clock had hit 100 when the final whistle blew; Dortmund departed muttering about Spanish referee César Soto Grado.

Juventus tried to match the drama but fell just short. Down 5-2 from the first leg in Istanbul, the Bianconeri played 41 minutes with ten men after Lloyd Kelly’s red card, yet still led Galatasaray 3-0 in the 118th minute, the equaliser coming from Weston McKennie and greeted by Khephren Thuram in tears. Victor Osimhen and Baris Alper Yilmaz scored in extra-time to settle a 7-5 thriller and keep the Turkish champions marching on.

Paris Saint-Germain also advanced, 5-4 on aggregate after a 2-2 home draw with Monaco, yet the Parc des Princes was not united in celebration. Before kick-off a section of supporters unfurled a banner backing defender Achraf Hakimi, who is due to stand trial on a rape allegation he denies. It is not the first time ultras have rallied round a player facing serious charges, but on a night when the club wanted to showcase progress towards retaining the trophy, the optics were uncomfortable at best. The club made no comment; Uefa is aware of the display.

The last-16 lineup is now complete. Six Premier League clubs give England a majority presence for the first time since the format tweak in 2003-04, raising the prospect of an all-English path to the final. The draw takes place at 11 a.m. GMT on Friday in Nyon, with ties scheduled for March 10–11 and 17–18.

Vinícius will be there, dancing. The competition would feel emptier without him.