Benfica – Real Madrid: Vinícius Júnior The Hero As Real Madrid Escape Lisbon With Narrow Win (0-1)

Real Madrid opened the scoring in their playoff clash for a spot in the Champions League round of 16. A brilliant strike from Vinícius Júnior early in the second half gave Arbeloa’s team the advantage over Benfica, with the tie set to be decided next Wednesday at the Bernabéu. The game was paused for over eight minutes after French referee François Letexier invoked the anti-racism protocol in response to insults aimed at Vinícius Júnior.

Tactical analysis and match report by Aderemi Qoyum.

This Champions League tie between Benfica and Real Madrid carried extra narrative weight given their recent meetings — just weeks earlier Benfica pulled off a stunning 4–2 win over Real Madrid in Lisbon, capped by an incredible late header from goalkeeper Anatoliy Trubin to secure qualification into the knockout playoffs on goal difference.

Benfica lined up in a 4-2-3-1 formation that blended defensive balance with counter attacking intent. In goal was Anatoliy Trubin, protected by a back four of Amar Dedić, Tomás Araújo, Nicolás Otamendi, and Samuel Dahl. The midfield double pivot was anchored by Leandro Barreiro and Fredrik Aursnes, offering protection and control. Ahead of them, Gianluca Prestianni, Andreas Schjelderup, and Rafa Silva occupied the creative slots, supporting Vangelis Pavlidis as the central striker.

Real Madrid set up in a 4-4-2 under Álvaro Arbeloa, focused on structural rotations and transitions. Thibaut Courtois started between the posts, with Trent Alexander-Arnold, Antonio Rüdiger, Dean Huijsen, and Álvaro Carreras forming the defensive unit. In midfield, Aurélien Tchouaméni, Arda Güler, Eduardo Camavinga, and Federico Valverde combined athletic press resistance with creative rhythm. Up front, Vinícius Júnior partnered with Kylian Mbappé to provide direct pace and goal threat.

Mbappe and Vinicius lead the press 

The first half was a balanced affair where Real Madrid held the majority of possession, yet the early focus remained on Benfica’s build-up attempts. When the hosts looked to build up short from the back, they were met by an aggressive, organised press from Arbeloa’s men. Benfica attempted to build in a 4-2-4 shape, with Trubin as a +1. The back four were spread wide with Barreiro and Aursnes at the edge of the box. Pavlidis and Rafa Silva were given licence to drop slightly deeper to help build properly and bypass the Madrid press.

To counter this, Real Madrid deployed a diamond 4-4-2 press. Vinícius Júnior and Kylian Mbappé led the charge by harrying the center-backs, while Federico Valverde and Eduardo Camavinga—the wide midfielders—pushed high to lock onto the full-backs. Depending on the ball side, one wide midfielder presses the ball side full-back while the far side midfielder moves to cover Guler. Arda Güler played a crucial role at the tip of the diamond, staying between Benfica’s double pivot and shifting laterally to deny central escape routes, forcing Benfica into long balls that Huijsen and Rüdiger recycled comfortably.

Minute 7′: Benfica’s buildup was repeatedly disrupted by Madrid’s press, forcing them to play long to Pavlidis dropping deep, but more often than not, the ball ended up with Madrid’s defenders.

Rotations causing problems

Upon winning possession, Real Madrid settled into a fluid 3-2-5 progression shape. This setup featured a right-sided carousel involving Trent Alexander-Arnold, Arda Güler, and Federico Valverde. The trio rotated in triangles to disrupt Benfica’s markers: while the three were comfortable in each zone, most often Valverde provided width, Alexander-Arnold sat deeper to dictate, and Güler occupied the right half-space.

On the opposite flank, Álvaro Carreras underlapped into the left half-space, allowing Vinícius Júnior to remain wide to attack 1v1. This structure, supported by the double pivot of Camavinga and Aurélien Tchouaméni, created constant dilemmas. The combination of Vinícius’s speed and the third-man runs on the right disrupted Benfica’s organization, leading to several high-quality chances for both Mbappé and Vinícius before the interval.

Minute 18′: Real Madrid in possession with several rotations

Benfica’s 3-2-5 and Schjelderup’s threat

When Benfica successfully navigated the press, they progressed in a 4-2-4 shape that morphed into a 3-2-5 in the final third. Right-back Amar Dedić pushed aggressively high and wide, gambling on the fact that Vinícius would not track back. On this right side, Benfica sought to overload Carreras and Camavinga, with Rafa Silva drifting freely to combine and link play, although he had little impact on the game. 

The primary objective for Benfica was to use the individual ability of Andreas Schjelderup against a defensively vulnerable Alexander-Arnold to create openings on the left. While Schjelderup found space, his final decision-making was not clinical enough to disturb Courtois. Despite these efforts, Madrid’s defense — marshalled by the controlled aggression of Rüdiger and the composed youngster Huijsen — remained disciplined, preventing the hosts from capitalizing on their threatening moments.

Aursnes’ deflected effort in the 24th minute was the home side’s only real threat in a difficult first half. Real Madrid dominated, creating three clear chances: Mbappé narrowly missed twice in the 43rd and 44th minutes, and Trubin denied Arda Güler in injury time with a sharp save.

Benfica’s 4-2-4 progression shape morphing into a 3-2-5 shape

Vinícius Júnior steals the spotlight

The deadlock was finally broken in the 50th minute, stemming from Madrid’s tactical alertness. Following a quick free-kick in their own half, Real Madrid caught the Benfica defense in a moment of reorganization. Kylian Mbappé spearheaded a lightning-fast counter-attack, driving through the heart of the pitch to drag the defense out of position. He then fed Vinícius Júnior, who cut inside Dedic from the left and unleashed a magnificent curled effort into the top corner past Trubin.

The goal celebration set off a chain of events, as the match was immediately halted after Vinícius reported racial abuse from Prestianni to referee François Letexier, resulting in few minutes suspension under the anti-racism protocol. Despite the volatile atmosphere and the lengthy delay, the goal stood as a testament to Madrid’s superior ability to exploit vertical gaps during high-velocity transitions.

Mourinho’s adjustments

Following the lengthy delay, José Mourinho looked to his bench to regain momentum, introducing Georgiy Sudakov and Richard Ríos. These changes provided Benfica with a necessary surge of energy; they began to press Madrid high as they looked to build in their own 4-4-2 shape, with some differences from the Benfica’s own. With Madrid trying to maintain their one goal lead, Mbappe drifts wide right when they build towards the right, this helps to stretch Benfica’s backline a bit more, leading to a few fouls won. Overall, the higher intensity of Benfica’s press finally secured more of the ball, pinning Madrid back for significant stretches.

Their improved pressing structure forced several turnovers in the middle third, and for the first time in the match, Benfica consistently threatened Madrid with promising attacks. However, Real Madrid’s defensive block remained compact. Despite 13 minutes of stoppage time and Mourinho receiving a red card for his protests on the touchline, Madrid held firm to take a 1-0 lead back to the Santiago Bernabéu.

Minute 78′: Benfica’s press 

Takeaways

Real Madrid’s victory highlights their tactical evolution under Arbeloa, particularly their ability to switch between a sophisticated carousel build-up and a resolute defensive block. The synergy between the midfield four and the front two proved the difference. For Benfica, while the second-half energy from Sudakov and Ríos provides a blueprint for the second leg, their inability to track the right-sided rotations remains a tactical puzzle Mourinho must solve before the return trip.

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