Real Madrid's Vinicius Junior scores their second goal past Benfica's Anatoliy Trubin. Photo: Reuters/Violeta Santos Moura
Real Madrid's Vinicius Junior scores their second goal past Benfica's Anatoliy Trubin. Photo: Reuters/Violeta Santos Moura
Fernando Kallas
Reuters
Today at 23:33
Aurelien Tchouameni and Vinicius Jr scored to help Real Madrid fight back for a 2-1 win over Benfica on Wednesday and book their Champions League last-16 spot with a 3-1 aggregate win in the knockout round playoff.
Real, who won last week's first leg 1-0 in a match marred by Vinicius accusing Benfica’s Gianluca Prestianni of directing a racist slur at him, will face Manchester City or Sporting Lisbon in the next round.
Benfica started brightly and went ahead in the 14th minute when Rafa Silva reacted quickest to turn in a rebound from close range, but Real responded almost immediately.
Gonzalo combined neatly with Federico Valverde on the right wing and the Uruguayan cut the ball back to Tchouameni, who guided a low shot inside the right post in the 16th minute.
The tie remained wide open until the 80th minute when Valverde won a loose ball in midfield and released Vinicius with a precise pass.
The Brazilian forward beat the offside trap, surged into the box and slotted into the far corner to send the record 15-times European champions into the next round.
Meanwhile, holders Paris St Germain edged into the last 16 after a 2-2 home draw with 10-man Monaco in the second leg of their knockout-round playoff, advancing 5-4 on aggregate from a tense tie that went right to the wire.
Monaco went ahead on the stroke of halftime through Maghnes Akliouche, but after Mamadou Coulibaly was sent off, PSG took immediate advantage to equalise through Marquinhos in the 60th minute and then six minutes later went ahead through Khvicha Kvaratskhelia.
But Monaco set up a furious finish when substitute Jordan Teze scored from Simon Adingra's cross to make it 2-2 in stoppage time and Wout Faes missed a last-gasp chance to force the game into extra time as a glancing header went wide.
PSG will next month meet either Barcelona or Chelsea in the last 16.