UCL: Vinicius fires Real Madrid into last 16 as PSG, Atalanta advance

 

Spanish giants, Real Madrid, on Wednesday night secured a place in the UEFA Champions League round of 16 after edging Portuguese side, Benfica, 3-1 on aggregate at the Santiago Bernabéu.

The 15-time European champions claimed a 2-1 victory in the second leg, with Brazilian winger Vinicius Junior once again proving decisive.

The encounter was played amid heightened tension following allegations of racist abuse directed at Vinicius in the build-up to the tie. Fired up by the atmosphere, Benfica struck first in the 14th minute through Rafa Silva, who capitalised from close range after goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois had denied an own goal by Raul Asencio.

However, Real Madrid responded almost immediately. Midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni restored parity two minutes later, curling home from an Arda Guler cutback to register his first-ever Champions League goal for the Spanish side.

With the tie finely balanced, Vinicius settled nerves in the 80th minute. Latching onto a precise pass from Federico Valverde, the Brazilian calmly slotted into the far corner to seal the victory and extend Real Madrid’s remarkable record of qualifying for the knockout stage every season since 1995/96.

In France, Paris Saint-Germain progressed despite being held to a 2-2 draw at home by AS Monaco. The Parisians advanced 5-4 on aggregate.

Meanwhile in Italy, Atalanta staged a stunning comeback to defeat Borussia Dortmund 4-1, overturning a two-goal deficit to qualify for the last 16 with a 4-3 aggregate scoreline.

Results

Real Madrid 2-1 Benfica (Real Madrid win 3-1 on aggregate)

Atalanta 4-1 Borussia Dortmund (Atalanta win 4-3 on aggregate)

Paris Saint-Germain 2-2 AS Monaco (PSG win 5-4 on aggregate)