Real Madrid edged closer to the Champions League last 16 on Tuesday night after Vinicius Junior’s stunning strike sealed a 1-0 first-leg win at Benfica.
The contest at the Estadio da Luz was overshadowed by an alleged racist incident that led to a 10-minute stoppage, with Vinicius at the centre of the confrontation moments after scoring the winner.
There was plenty of pre-match edge given the presence of Benfica manager Jose Mourinho, who faced his former club in a tie that had already produced drama in the league phase.
On the pitch, it was a lively first half without a breakthrough, as Kylian Mbappe tested Anatoliy Trubin with a fierce effort and Arda Guler later forced the goalkeeper into another sharp save.
Benfica also carried a threat, and Thibaut Courtois was called into action to keep out a dangerous Tomas Araujo header before producing an excellent stop from Fredrik Aursnes.
Madrid finished the half strongly and created a flurry of chances, with Mbappe going close twice in quick succession and Vinicius also flashing an effort wide.
The breakthrough arrived four minutes after the restart. Vinicius collected the ball on the left, shifted inside and curled a superb right-footed finish into the top corner, giving Trubin no chance.
Vinicius was booked for celebrating in front of the home support and then appeared to report racist abuse to referee Francois Letexier during a heated exchange with Benfica players.
Letexier stopped the match and signalled that the anti-racism protocol had been triggered, as both managers and staff members came onto the pitch while tempers flared.
Play eventually resumed with Vinicius remaining on the field, although the atmosphere had shifted and the closing stages were played in a far more hostile mood.
Benfica struggled to build clear chances, while Madrid looked comfortable defending their lead and threatening on the counter.
The evening ended with further disorder, as objects were reportedly thrown from the stands towards the visiting players, and Mourinho was shown a red card for protesting late in the match.
Madrid will take a narrow but valuable advantage back to the Santiago Bernabeu for the second leg next week.
Benfica have it all to do, needing a response on the pitch and hoping the focus returns to football rather than the ugly scenes that marred the first meeting.
