Real Madrid vs. Benfica live score: Champions League result, updates, stats from knockout playoff second leg

MADRID — Real Madrid’s love affair with the Champions League knockout rounds remains intact. A breathless 2-1 second-leg victory over Benfica at a raucous Santiago Bernabéu on Wednesday sent the 14-time European champions through 3-1 on aggregate and extended their unique streak of reaching the Round of 16 in every edition since the phase was introduced in 2003-04.

Yet for 16 minutes Los Blancos flirted with disaster. Rafa Silva punished a defensive lapse to slot home the opener and level the tie on aggregate, waking memories of Madrid’s recent habit of complicating straightforward assignments. The lead lasted 120 seconds. Aurelien Tchouameni, orchestrating play alongside birthday-boy Arda Guler and Eduardo Camavinga, arrowed a 20-yard drive into the bottom corner for his first Champions League goal in white, tilting momentum back toward the hosts.

From there the contest became a study in contrasts: Madrid’s midfield trio matured by the minute, while Benfica’s Andreas Schjelderup tormented Trent Alexander-Arnold down the left, repeatedly creating overloads that forced Thibaut Courtois into a spectacular diving stop from Richard Rios. Silva came within inches of a second goal on 59 minutes, curling the outside of his boot against the bar and sending a shiver through the Bernabéu.

Vinicius Jr., entrusted with the attacking mantle in the continued absence of Kylian Mbappe and Rodrygo, was quiet by his standards for 80 minutes yet proved decisive when it mattered. Latching onto a loose ball, he sprinted clear, held off the recovering defender and slipped a precise far-post finish beyond Anatoliy Trubin to extinguish Portuguese hopes and book a last-16 date with either Manchester City or Sporting CP, to be determined at Friday’s draw.

The closing stages were punctuated by hard fouls and nine minutes of stoppage time, but the narrative had already been settled—fittingly by the Brazilian who had been the target of racial abuse from Benfica winger Gianluca Prestianni in the first leg, a flashpoint that hung over the tie and left Prestianni suspended for the return.

José Mourinho, serving a touchline ban, watched from the stands as assistant João Tralhão took charge, yet could do little to stem Madrid’s control after the interval. Guler saw a goal ruled out by the sleeve of Gonzalo García’s offside arm, while late substitutions introduced fresh legs rather than fresh hope. When the final whistle sounded, Madrid’s progression felt both hard-earned and deserved across 180 minutes.

Real Madrid: Courtois; Alexander-Arnold, Rüdiger, Asencio (Alaba 77), Carreras (F. García 90); Valverde, Guler (Pitarch 84), Tchouameni, Camavinga (Mastantuono 77); G. García (Palacios 84), Vinicius Jr.

Benfica: Trubin; Dedic, Araújo, Otamendi, Dahl; Barreiro, Aursnes (Barrenchea 85); Rios, Silva, Schjelderup (Ivanovic 85); Pavlidis.

Referee: Slavko Vinčić (SVN)