Real Madrid vs. Benfica LIVE Updates: Minute-by-Minute Coverage of the 2025-26 Champions League Playoffs Second Leg

Real Madrid and Benfica face off Wednesday, February 25, at Santiago Bernabéu Stadium for the second leg of the 2025-26 Champions League playoffs. Stay with us so you don’t miss a single detail of what promises to be one of the most heated matchups in recent soccer history. The home side enters the match holding […]

Real Madrid and Benfica face off Wednesday, February 25, at Santiago Bernabéu Stadium for the second leg of the 2025-26 Champions League playoffs. Stay with us so you don’t miss a single detail of what promises to be one of the most heated matchups in recent soccer history.

The home side enters the match holding the advantage from the first leg at Estádio da Luz, where Vinícius Júnior scored the only goal of the tie so far. In the 50th minute, the Brazilian cut into the box from the left flank and unleashed a brilliant strike that flew into the top corner.

After the goal, controversy erupted when Vinícius accused Benfica player Gianluca Prestianni of racial abuse, an incident that resulted in no disciplinary action during the match. One week after the controversial episode, tensions remain high, with Benfica backing the Argentine, who has denied the allegations and accused Real Madrid of misrepresenting events.

Prestianni has been temporarily suspended, meaning he will not take part in the second leg, though he still chose to travel with the team to Spain. With a spot in the Champions League Round of 16 on the line, the controversy only adds more fuel to what is expected to be an intense showdown.