Vinicius Jr. and Aurelien Tchouameni scored as Real Madrid defeated Benfica and advanced to the round of 16 of the Champions League.
After a controversial first leg in Portugal, where Vinicius made headlines for both his winning goal and being the focus of alleged racial insults by Gianluca Prestianni—who was suspended for this match while denying the accusations against him—Los Blancos led 1-0.
Real Madrid mostly avoided any problems in the second leg. Rafa Silva gave the team the lead early on, but Tchouameni’s curling goal from the edge of the box two minutes later quickly allayed fears.
The Brazilian then extended the lead beyond doubt as he slotted a finish beyond the reach of Anatoly Trubin late in the second half, shortly after Raul Asencio left the pitch on a stretcher after a nasty fall.
It was not an inspired performance from La Liga giants; however, they did enough to ensure their progression, and they will now face either Sporting CP or Manchester City in the next round.
