Benfica suffered a 1-0 defeat against Real Madrid in an action-packed Champions League play-off first leg at the highest attended game at Estádio da Luz.
perhaps alluding to the incredible recent meeting between the two sides (Photo: Arlindo Homem ©)
The Eagles got off to a flying start but it was Real Madrid who threatened first, Kylian Mbappé and Arda Güler firing warning shots at Anatoliy Trubin. Federico Valverde’s deflected cross then fell for Vinícius Júnior who sent an effort narrowly past the post.
Fredrik Aursnes’ deflected strike was saved by Thibaut Courtois before the visitors ended the first half on fire.
Tremendous atmosphere in Lisboa! pic.twitter.com/OQMRoq5pA9
— Matthew Marshall (@noobzcorp) February 17, 2026
Mbappé fired over the bar and went desperately close to getting on the end of Trent Alexander-Arnold’s cross with the goal at his mercy. Los Blancos finally started to combine, Mbappé missing the target after initiating a move involving Álvaro Carreras and Vinícius.
Mbappé wasted a decent chance, Vinícius shot wide and Güler was denied by a fine save from the increasingly busy Trubin. The half-time whistle was welcomed by José Mourinho and his side who were being thoroughly outplayed on their own pitch.
Vinícius brilliance breaks the deadlock
The decisive goal came in the 50th minute when Mbappé gave the ball to Vinícius who took advantage of Amar Dedic, advanced towards goal and sent an unstoppable shot into the top corner. The Brazilian’s celebration at the corner flag sparked a fracas that would soon take centre stage.
Vinícius approached referee François Letexier before the restart and appeared to accuse Gianluca Prestianni of racial abuse. The game stopped for almost ten minutes, Mourinho spending a large proportion of them in conversation with the goal scorer.
Vinícius tested Trubin twice before Mourinho went to his bench in the 74th minute, Richard Ríos and Georgiy Sudakov replacing Rafa Silva and Andreas Schjelderup.
Gianluca Prestianni was booked for diving before Vinícius forced another save from Trubin. Mourinho made two more substitutions, Fredrik Aursnes and Prestianni making way for Sidny Cabral and Dodi Lukebakio.
Mourinho sees red
Cabral blazed over the bar before Ríos was taken down by Eduardo Camavinga on the edge of the box. Mourinho was furious with Letexier which saw the referee show the manager consecutive yellow cards.
Álvaro Arbeloa made his first substitution in the 87th minute when Brahim Díaz replaced Güler. Benfica tried hard but couldn’t break Real Madrid’s defence down, the Spanish side closing it out in Lisboa.
More to this story
Benfica were unable to replicate the performance that saw them beat Real Madrid 4-2 and snatch a spot in the play-offs. Álvaro Arbeloa has adopted a 4-4-2 formation and Thibaut Courtois was hardly troubled all evening long.
Los Blancos are far from a free-flowing side and have plenty to work on, but Kylian Mbappé and Vinícius Júnior only need one moment of magic to unlock a contest and so it proved.
José Mourinho may regret getting himself sent off which means he won’t be in the dugout at Estadio Bernabéu.
Benfica will need all the help they can get in their attempt to stop Mbappé and Vinícius in the Spanish capital, the Portuguese club overturning a first leg home defeat in a European qualifying round only once in eight previous attempts.
It was great to see Richard Ríos and Dodi Lukebakio return to action. With Alexander Bah an unused substitute, the Eagles are getting back to full strength but not quite in time for the second leg next week.
Prestianni accused
There will be plenty of discussion about the racist remarks that Gianluca Prestianni was accused of directing at Vinicius Junior. Expect a thorough investigation that could lead to a lengthy ban for the Argentine.
Kylian Mbappé spoke about the racial allegations in the mixed zone: “Apologies? Look at his face? This kind of thing can’t happen. He’s a young man, how can you say these things on a football field?"
“We were going to leave the field, it was the team’s decision, I don’t know what happened and then we came back. This type of human being is not my colleague, he shouldn’t play in the Champions League again.”
“We cannot accept that a player like that plays in the Champions League, he doesn’t deserve it. But let’s see what UEFA decides. It’s a serious case.”
Mourinho addressed the incident in the post match press conferernce, saying: “I already spoke in the flash interview and I wanted to be more balanced than Álvaro Arbeloa and Mbappé. I spoke with Vini and he told me one thing, I spoke with Prestianni and he said another.”
“I could have been ’red’ and said that I only believe what Prestianni told me, or I could have been balanced and said that in the world of football I always try to be more balanced. I don’t want to say that Vinícius is a liar and that Prestianni is a wonderful kid. I don’t want to say that.”
Benfica: Anatoliy Trubin, Amar Dedic, Nicolás Otamendi, Tomás Araújo, Samuel Dahl, Leandro Barreiro, Fredrik Aursnes (Sidny Cabral, 80’), Gianluca Prestianni (Dodi Lukebakio, 80’), Rafa Silva (Richard Ríos, 73’), Andreas Schjelderup (Georgiy Sudakov, 74’), Vangelis Pavlidis
Real Madrid: Thibaut Courtois, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Dean Huijsen, Antonio Rüdiger, Álvaro Carreras (Dani Carvajal, 90’), Aurélien Tchouaméni, Fede Valverde, Eduardo Camavinga (Thiago Pitarch, 90’), Arda Güler (Brahim Díaz, 86’), Kylian Mbappé, Vinícius Júnior
Goals:
[0-1] Vinícus Júnior, 50’
