Real Madrid booked their place in the last 16 of the UEFA Champions League with a 2-1 victory over Benfica at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium on Wednesday night, sealing a 3-1 aggregate triumph in their knockout round play-off. 

Goals from Aurelien Tchouameni and Vinicius Jr ensured the Spanish giants progressed despite a spirited performance from the visitors.

Benfica struck first on the night when Rafa Silva reacted quickest in the 14th minute, turning in a loose ball after Thibaut Courtois had prevented Raul Asencio’s attempted clearance from crossing the line. 

The early goal briefly raised hopes of a comeback for the Portuguese side, who needed to overturn a first-leg deficit.

Real responded almost immediately. Just two minutes later, Tchouameni curled a precise effort from the edge of the area beyond the goalkeeper to draw the hosts level. 

It was the midfielder’s first Champions League goal and restored calm inside the Bernabeu, with the aggregate score firmly in Real’s favour once more.

The build-up to the match had centred on Vinicius Jr after he alleged he was racially abused by Benfica’s Gianluca Prestianni during the first leg. 

Prestianni was handed a one-match ban and did not feature in the return fixture, while Real supporters displayed a banner reading “no to racism” in Spanish before kick-off in a show of solidarity with the Brazilian forward.

Without the injured Kylian Mbappe, Real occasionally lacked their usual cutting edge, and Benfica threatened to level the tie on aggregate. 

However, with 10 minutes remaining, Vinicius Jr drove a clinical finish across goal to secure the win on the night and his sixth goal in five matches in all competitions.

The victory sends Real Madrid into the last 16, where they will face either Manchester City or Sporting CP. 

For Benfica, the defeat ends their European campaign, but their performance in Madrid underlined their resilience against one of the continent’s most decorated sides.