SOCCER: Vinicius scores as Real Madrid sink Benfica to reach Champions League last 16

MADRID – Real Madrid overcame an early setback to beat Benfica 2-1 on Wednesday, securing a 3-1 aggregate victory and advancing to the Champions League last 16 after a thrilling match at the Santiago Bernabeu.

Aurelien Tchouameni and Vinicius Jr. scored on either side of halftime to erase Rafa Silva's early opener, sending the 15-time European champions through, with either Manchester City or Sporting Lisbon awaiting in Friday’s draw.

Benfica, trailing 1-0 from the first leg in Portugal, started strongly despite the absence of manager Jose Mourinho, who was suspended after a red card in the previous match. Real Madrid also missed key defenders Eder Militao and Dean Huijsen, while forward Kylian Mbappe was sidelined due to a knee injury. The first leg had also been overshadowed by Vinicius Jr.’s accusations that Benfica’s Gianluca Prestianni directed a racist slur at him, with Prestianni provisionally suspended by UEFA and absent from this match.

The visitors took the lead in the 14th minute. Thibaut Courtois produced a brilliant left-footed save to prevent Raul Asencio from turning Pavlidis's cross into his own net, but the rebound fell to Rafa Silva, who controlled it inside the six-yard box and fired past the keeper.

Real Madrid responded immediately. Two minutes later, Gonzalo linked up with Federico Valverde on the right wing. Valverde cut the ball back to the edge of the box, where Tchouameni calmly finished low past the right post to equalize.

The match remained open, and in the 32nd minute, Arda Guler thought he had put Real ahead, only for VAR to rule the goal out for offside. Benfica continued to threaten, with Richard Rios forcing a stunning save from Courtois in the 38th minute. But after halftime, Real Madrid began to find their rhythm.

Benfica came close again on the hour mark when Vinicius was caught out during a Real build-up, allowing Rafa to strike powerfully from the edge of the box, but the shot hit the crossbar.

The game was finally decided in the 80th minute. Valverde seized on a loose ball in midfield and threaded a precise pass to Vinicius Jr., who timed his run perfectly to beat the offside trap. The Brazilian surged into the box and calmly slotted the ball into the bottom corner to secure the win.

“We didn’t start very well, but we stayed confident and knew the goals would come eventually,” Tchouameni told Movistar Plus. “We did things a little better as the match went on, and now we move forward. We need to adjust our defense and get into the game quicker, but winning is what matters most.” -Reporting by Fernando Kallas, editing by Ed Osmond/Reuters