The playoff second leg was already in full swing when over 30 journalists were still waiting for “The Special One” in the catacombs of the eighth floor of the Bernabéu.
But José Mourinho didn’t come, the suspended coach of Benfica Lisbon preferred to watch the Champions League duel with his former club Real Madrid (1:2) on the bus instead of in a lonely cabin.
“Marca” wrote about a “surreal return”: “For several minutes you had the impression that the coach was more the focus than the football. Or at least more than the game between Real Madrid and Benfica, in which a place in the round of 16 was at stake.”
Even after the goals from Benfica’s Rafa Silva (14th) and Aurélien Tchouameni (16th), according to consistent media reports, numerous reporters with cell phone cameras drawn remained in front of the small radio reporter’s booth 6, which was actually intended for the Portuguese and in which Barcelona coach Hansi Flick had already sat down in the Clásico in October 2025.
“Surrealism reached its peak when UEFA intervened and banned the Portuguese from being filmed,” wrote Marca.
Vinicius Junior, of all people, makes the difference
Instead of Mourinho, who had seen the yellow-red card in the first leg (0-1), assistant coach John Tralhao was on the sidelines. Despite a courageous performance, Benfica ultimately lost the game thanks to Vinícius Junior’s goal (80′), and even a draw would not have been enough to qualify for the round of 16 due to the first leg result.
Real will now face Benfica’s city rivals Sporting Lisbon or Manchester City in the round of 16, with the draw taking place on Friday (12 noon) in Nyon.
Match winner Vinícius Júnior let his actions speak on the pitch a week after the racism scandal in Lisbon. “The dance continues,” wrote the 25-year-old Brazilian late on Thursday evening in his post on Instagram, in which, in addition to his celebration at the corner flag, he also included a black and white picture with an anti-racism banner from the fans in the background.
Real Madrid coach Álvaro Arbeloa gave special praise to the man who ultimately made the difference. “He played a great game, scored a goal, and created danger every time he got close to the goal,” said Arbeloa: “Hopefully he continues to stay at this level.”
In the 80th minute of the game, Vini Jr. carefully completed a Real attack and finally put the favorites on course for the round of 16. In the second leg, the focus was on sport.
In the first leg (1-0) a week earlier, however, there was a scandal. Benfica professional Gianluca Prestianni is said to have insulted Vinícius after his dream goal. He was temporarily banned, but still traveled to Madrid. Before the second leg, there was a large poster in the Bernabéu: “No to racism.”
