"With eleven minutes left on a sometimes nervous night at the Santiago Bernabeu, he had been set free to run through, putting the ball past Anatoliy Trubin and Real Madrid into the last 16 of the Champions League. A 3-1 aggregate lead secured, a place in the next round too, he set off and shook his hips in front of the flag, fans released from their fears and applauding him as he did so."
"One-nil up from a first leg in Lisbon that had been overshadowed by allegations that the Brazilian had been racially abused by Benfica's Gianluca Prestianni, Madrid had trailed by an early goal here and although they equalised swiftly, an uneasy night ensued in which they had not felt safe until then."
"It was some move too, a minute's worth of possession in which they brought the ball up the left, found their path blocked, turned, went back and built again, eventually travelling all the way to deep, deep inside Madrid's area and the opening goal."
Real Madrid progressed to the Champions League last 16 after a 1-0 victory over Benfica at the Santiago Bernabéu, completing a 3-1 aggregate triumph. Despite taking a one-goal lead from the first leg in Lisbon, Madrid fell behind early in the second leg, creating an anxious atmosphere. The match remained tense until Vinicius Junior sealed qualification with an 11-minute remaining, scoring to secure safe passage. The tie was marked by racial abuse allegations against Vinicius from the first leg, with Benfica's Gianluca Prestianni and José Mourinho notably absent from the stadium during the return fixture.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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