Article by David Marinescu – Published Tuesday, 17 February 2026, 22:01 / Updated Tuesday, 17 February 2026 22:01
Benfica – real madridin the first leg of the Champions League round of 16 play-off, takes place NOW. The match is liveTEXT on GSP.ro.
LIVE » Benfica – Real Madrid 0-0
3 weeks after the dramatic group match, when Benfica scored the qualifying goal in the last phase, the two teams meet again. On January 28, in Lisbon, the Portuguese beat Real Madrid 4-2. At 3-2, in extra time, Mourinho's team needed one more goal to qualify for the play-offs.
In the last phase, the goalkeeper Trubin stepped up to the attack and scored with his head, after a cross from a free kick. And Benfica ranked 24th, with 9 points, tied with Marseille, but with a better goal difference than the French, -2 versus -3. Following the defeat, Real Madrid missed out on direct qualification to the round of 16.
Benfica – Real Madrid, starting teams
Benfica (4-3-1-2): Trubin – Dedic, Araujo, Otamendi, Dahl – Schjelderup, Aursnes, Barreiro – Prestianni – Rafa Silva, Pavlidis
reserves: D. Ferreira, Bah, Barrenechea, Bruma, A. Cabral, F. Ivanovic, Lopes Cabral, Lukebakio, Manu, Rios, A. Silva, Sudakov
Coach: Jose Mourinho
Real Madrid (4-3-3): Courtois – Alexander-Arnold, Rudiger, Huijsen, Carreras – Valverde, Tchouameni, Camavinga – Guler, Mbappe, Vinicius
reserves: Lunin, Alaba, Carvajal, Ceballos, Cestero Sancho, B. Diaz, F. Garcia, G. Garcia, J. Martinez, Mastantuono, F. Mendy, Pitarch
Coach: Alvaro Arbeloa
Jose Mourinho: “I'd like to knock it out, but I'd also really like Arbeloa to win La Liga”
“I gave everything I had at Real Madrid. I did some good things and some worse, but I gave everything. When a professional gives everything, it establishes a bond that lasts forever.
The feelings after 12 years with Real Madrid fans are mutual. They respect me and I respect them a lot. It's fantastic for me. I don't want to feed stories that don't exist.
I have one year left on my contract with Benfica. It's special because it's an election period and we wanted to protect a new president. I have an easy-to-cancel clause and I have nothing against Real Madrid.
I would like to get rid of her, but I would also really like Arbeloa to win La Liga and stay at Real Madrid for many years, because he has a lot of talent. He's a real Real Madrid fan and has a lot of personality,” Jose Mourinho said at his pre-match press conference.
Alvaro Arbeloa: “Benfica didn't surprise me at all, because I know how all Jose's teams are”
“We know what high expectations there are for us. The objective is to win. Our philosophy is to play excellent football. You have to know what you have to do every minute. We always think about victory. The objective is to win the Champions League, not the rematch against Benfica.
My objective is to eliminate Benfica. Benfica have improved in individual performance, but their spirit will be similar to three weeks ago as their leader shows them the way. It will be a very competitive and intense team.
Benfica didn't surprise me at all, because I know how all Jose's teams are. It would be the same even if he played with the youth team. It's a new match, nothing like the one three weeks ago,” said Alvaro Arbeloa, who was Mourinho's student at Real.
