Real Madrid advanced to the last 16 of the Champions League courtesy of a 2-1 win over Benfica. Los Blancos got the job done in the second-leg of their play-off but their performance left much to be admired.
Franco Mastantuono came on in the 77th minute and put in a display that doesn't do him any favors regarding more game time. The Argentine struggled to impress during his cameo appearance, the latest dissapointing outing for the 18-year-old.
It didn't matter as Madrid won the tie 3-1 on aggregate with another victory at the Estadio Bernabeu tonight. The visitors opened the scoring through Rafa Silva in the 14th minute only for Aurelien Tchouameni to equalise two minutes later.
Vinicius Junior put the ongoing [racism row](https://therealchamps.com/real-madrid-vs-benfica-mourinho-shown-correct-way-respond-vinicius-racism-row-football-soccer) from the first leg to one side to score another winner against the Portuguese giants. He scored a fine strike and danced in the corner flag as he did at the Estadio da Luz last week.
### Real Madrid 2-1 Benfica - Mastantuono frustrates
Mastantuono has come under fire as of late amid some questionable performances. He arrived from River Plate last summer with huge expectations.
The Argentine teenager had 16 touches, completed two of four dribble attempts and made one key pass. He won two of five ground duels and none of two aerial duels.
Madrid fans weren't impressed with what they saw from their young attacking midfielder and voiced this on X. One fan wants him to be sent out on loan:
"Please loan out Mastantuono. I can’t stand that low IQ footballer at the moment. Pitarch is the CONTROLLER we desperately need. Composure level is remarkable."
Another supporter joked: "Mastantuono reminds me of Vini when he first came to Madrid."
One fan gave a grim verdict: Mastantuono has turned out to be worse than Reinier at this point."
This led to a response from another: "Every time he has the ball we lose it to the opponent."
One fan added: ""Mastantuono needs to go on loan, to an academy. He needs to learn football from the scratch."
Another was dissapointed: "You'd feel some pity for mastantuono that he's isolated on the right and he should get some of the ball, he eventually gets the ball and he loses it instantly."
### What next for Mastantuono?
Mastantuono has struggled to impress in recent months and this has resulted in time spent on the bench. He's appeared 26 times across competitions, posting three goals and one assist.
Perhaps a loan is the best solution for the Argentine to allow him to further develop and get more game time under his belt elsewhere. There's no doubt that there is talent there but he seems raw and patience will be key as he continues to grow as a footballer.