Vinicius Junior Scores Late Winner as Real Madrid Reach UEFA Champions League Last 16

February 26, 2026: Real Madrid CF advanced to the Champions League last 16 after a 2-1 home win over SL Benfica, winning the tie 3-1 on aggregate. Vinícius Júnior scored the decisive goal in the 80th minute to secure the victory at Santiago Bernabéu. The match was closely contested, and the score was level for much of the game as Real Madrid struggled to break Benfica’s defence.

Benfica started the match with strong attacking pressure and equalised on aggregate when Rafa Silva finished from close range after a good move down the right side. Real responded quickly when Federico Valverde passed the ball to Aurélien Tchouaméni, who curled the ball into the net to score the equalizer. The game remained open, and both teams missed some good chances. Real Madrid played without Kylian Mbappé because of a knee injury. Benfica also missed forward Gianluca Prestianni, who was suspended following an alleged racist insult involving Vinícius in the first leg.

Vinicius Jr. shines as Real Madrid beats Benfica to reach #ChampionsLeague Round of 16

Real Madrid ​recovered from an early scare to beat Benfica 2-1 on Wednesday and secure a 3-1 aggregate victory ‌to reach the Champions League last 16 after a pulsating game at ​the Santiago… pic.twitter.com/xM560r26gT

— Sportstar (@sportstarweb) February 26, 2026

The second half was more intense as both teams searched for a winning goal. Arda Güler had a goal ruled out for offside in the first half. Real Madrid faced a scare in the 77th minute when defender Raúl Asencio was taken off after a heavy fall. As Benfica pushed forward looking for a goal, Valverde sent a long pass to Vinícius, who finished past goalkeeper Anatoliy Trubin to confirm Real Madrid’s qualification.

Real Madrid CF will now face either Manchester City F.C. or Sporting CP in the round of 16.

In another match, Atalanta BC eliminated Borussia Dortmund with a 4-3 aggregate win. Lazar Samardžić scored the last goal of the match to help Atalanta qualify. The team came back after trailing 2-0 in the first leg and completed a remarkable comeback. Late drama followed as Atalanta won a penalty in added time, and Samardžić converted it successfully.