Real Madrid Advance to Champions League Round of 16 After Bating Benfica

4 hours ago 1

February 26, 2026 | 06:38 am

Champions League Trophy and Logo. (uefa)

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta – Real Madrid qualified for the Champions League round of 16 after eliminating Benfica 3-1 on aggregate. The Spanish giants secured their place in the knockout stage with a 2-1 victory over the Portuguese club in the second leg of the playoff at the Santiago Bernabeu on Thursday, February 26, 2026.

Having started the match with a narrow 1-0 lead from the first leg, Real Madrid conceded an early goal through Rafa Silva in the 14th minute, leveling the score. However, just two minutes later, Aurelien Tchuameni equalized, restoring his team's one-goal lead.

Ten minutes before the end of normal time, Vinicius Junior scored to extend the lead to two goals. Vinicius danced in the corner, just as he had done when scoring in the first leg. However, this time, he did not receive a yellow card.

Real Madrid, the most decorated team in the Champions League with 15 titles, had to go through a playoff to secure a place in the knockout stage of this European Championship after being defeated 4-2 by Benfica in their final league match. The defeat left Alvaro Arbeloa's side in ninth place.

However, Vinicius Junior and his teammates ultimately qualified for the round of 16 thanks to two wins over the Portuguese side, two 1-0 wins in Lisbon and one 2-1 win in Madrid. Los Blancos became the third team from La Liga to qualify for the knockout stage.

Barcelona advanced directly to the round of 16 after finishing fifth in the league. Atletico Madrid followed suit after eliminating Club Brugge 7-4 on aggregate after playing the second leg at home on Wednesday morning WIB (Western Indonesian Time).

Champions League Playoff Round Match Recap:

Wednesday, February 25, 2026

Atletico Madrid vs. Club Brugge 4-1 (7-4 aggregate)
Newcastle United vs. Qarabag FK 3-2 (9-3 aggregate)
Bayer Leverkusen vs. Olympiacos 0-0 (2-0 aggregate)
Inter Milan vs. Bodo/Glimt 1-2 (2-5 aggregate)

Match Schedule for Thursday, February 26, 2026

Atalanta vs. Dortmund 4-1 (4-3 aggregate)
Juventus vs. Galatasaray 3-2 (5-7 aggregate)
PSG vs. Monaco 2-2 (5-4 aggregate)
Real Madrid vs. Benfica 2-1 (3-1 aggregate)

List of the 16 Teams Qualified for the Round of 16 Champions League:

Eight Teams That Qualified Directly

- Arsenal
- Bayern Munich
- Liverpool
- Tottenham
- Barcelona
- Chelsea
- Sporting CP
- Manchester City

Eight Teams That Qualified from the Playoffs

- Atletico Madrid
- Bodo/Glimt
- Newcastle
- Bayer Leverkusen
- Real Madrid
- Atalanta
- PSG
- Galatasaray

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