The "Los Blancos" Real Madrid narrowly defeated Benfica away in the first leg of the UEFA Champions League knockout playoff round.
The 2025-26 UEFA Champions League knockout playoff first leg took place on Tuesday, 17 Feb 2026 GMT+7, featuring an intriguing match where Portuguese league powerhouse Benfica hosted the visiting "Los Blancos" Real Madrid.
In the first half, Real Madrid clearly dominated and created several chances but failed to break through the home team's defense, ending the half scoreless at 0-0.
At the start of the second half, in the 50th minute, Real Madrid took the lead 1-0. Kylian Mbappé passed to Vinícius Júnior on the left, who cut inside the penalty area and curled a right-footed shot into the top corner of the far post beautifully.
However, following the goal, the game was paused for about 10 minutes after Vinícius complained to the referee about something said by Benfica player Gianluca Prestiani, before play eventually resumed.
At the 85th minute, Benfica coach José Mourinho was shown a red card after receiving a second yellow for protesting on the sidelines, resulting in a suspension that will keep him from managing the next match at Santiago Bernabéu.
Neither team scored thereafter, and the match ended with Real Madrid winning 1-0 away, gaining an advantage ahead of the second leg at home on 25 February.