Real Madrid won the first leg of the first leg of the play-off Real Madrid secured a Champions League victory at Benfica's stadium thanks to a brilliant goal from Vinícius (0-1). The Brazilian was once again the center of attention, both for his skill and the controversy that usually surrounds him. After scoring the opening goal in the 50th minute, he went to celebrate in the corner with his usual exuberance, prompting criticism from Benfica fans. It was at that moment that Vinícius reported a racist insult from Benfica's Gianluca Prestianni, which immediately triggered the anti-racism protocol and forced the match to be stopped for almost 10 minutes. According to Vinícius, the Benfica player hurled a racist insult at him while he was celebrating the goal in front of the stands, although the Argentine covered his mouth with his shirt. Prestianni, however, vehemently denied the allegations and claimed he had received threats from Real Madrid players. Mbappé backed up his teammate's version of events after the match: "I've seen him call Vinícius a 'monkey' five times. He's a racist, he doesn't deserve to ever play in the Champions League again," he exclaimed.

"I could call Mourinho at three in the morning and he'd answer." That's what Álvaro Arbeloa said before visiting Benfica's stadium on the final matchday of the Champions League group stage. It was a crazy match that went to the home side (4-2) with a goal from goalkeeper Trubin in the 98th minute, which secured the Portuguese team's place in the round of 32 (a 3-2 victory would have eliminated them on goal difference). Real Madrid's defeat – combined with the other results of the day – also dropped them from third to ninth place and forced them to play this qualifying round to reach the round of 16. The draw has paired Arbeloa with Mourinho once again. The first leg will be on February 17th or 18th at the Estádio da Luz, while the return leg will be on February 24th or 25th at the Bernabéu.

"Why?" This is the question on the minds of many Real Madrid fans after their 4-2 defeat at Benfica, which left them outside the top eight in the Champions League. The script for the final European night was worthy of an Oscar-nominated film. Barça came from behind to beat Copenhagen 4-1 and finish fifth, while Mourinho, the special oneHe won the battle against Álvaro Arbeloa, forcing Real Madrid to play two more matches if they want to reach the round of 16. With Real Madrid in ninth place, Bodø/Glimt – who come into this match after beating Manchester City (3-1) and Atlético Madrid (1-2) – or José Mourinho's Benfica are the likely opponents for Los Blancos in the round of 32. The draw takes place this Friday.

Enamored with Lisbon's culture, Edu Castro (Vigo, 1966) has been getting lost in the streets of Lisbon for a year and a half now, strolling through the parks, where he sits down to read some of the books that have accompanied him throughout his career: Don Quixote, History of Western Philosophy, Ulysses either The man without attributesThe former Barça coach and current Benfica manager is an avid reader and is taking advantage of his time in Portugal to delve deeper into the literature of José Saramago and Antonio Lobo Antunes. "Leaving Barça is never planned, but I'm making the most of my time at Benfica. It wasn't a goal I had set, but once it happens, it's exciting," he explains to ARA. Born in Vigo, although raised in Bellvitge, he is a lawyer by profession who entered the world of hockey by chance. "Espanyol's hockey section didn't have a place to play their matches and they rented the rink at a school in Bellvitge, Joan XXIII. We saw the sport, fell in love with it, and both my brothers and I started playing." At 59, he manages Benfica, where he currently has a contract until June 2027. "Coaches are always dealing with temporary situations, and in a sport like ours, where there are few projects you can make a living from professionally, that's the reality." This means that, for the time being, he lives alone in Lisbon, far from his family; but Edu Castro has found the positive side: "Being alone gives me more time to dedicate to literature and hockey. You always have to make a virtue of necessity."

Surely while Alexia Putellas He was enjoying the European victory of the Barça men's team at the new Camp NouShe imagined playing in the Champions League quarterfinals. With today's victory against Benfica (3-1), Pere Romeu's team is now one step closer to fulfilling that dream. The Blaugrana are virtually qualified for the quarterfinals after a flawless group stage. With one match remaining in the European competition, the Catalan side has four wins and one draw, scoring eighteen goals and conceding only three.

Few full-backs can boast of having stopped Lamine Yamal in recent months. The young Barça winger has been a thorn in the side of defenders in both La Liga and the Champions League. Alphonso Davies (Bayern), Ramy Bensebaini (Borussia Dortmund), and Federico Dimarco (Inter) have all finished their matches with dignity: a Galician named Álvaro Carreras, who has become Real Madrid's fourth signing for next season, behind Alexander-Arnold. Benfica has signed him for six seasons. He will sign his contract on Tuesday and be presented at the Santiago Bernabéu.

A team is making a firm step through Europe, winning over fans and scaring rivals. A Barça hurricane that sends its opponents flying through the air as if they were paper toys. In an ode to offensive football, Barça got rid of Benfica by thrashing them at an Olímpic Lluís Companys stadium that had become a schoolyard where Lamine Yamal did his thing. Between the youngster from Mataró, Raphinha and Pedri they did what they wanted.

Anyone who wants to break the dreams of this Barça will have to work hard. Hansi Flick's team wants to go far in Europe. As far as possible. Even Bavaria, if possible. With the Atlantic rain soaking the players and creating a backdrop to the game, Barça managed to survive a trap in Lisbon. In a game in which more than one would have been frightened and made themselves small, they managed to play more than seventy minutes with one man less to take a result of great value to Barcelona (0-1). A victory of the kind that is enjoyed, because it was suffered. A result that begins to open the doors to the quarter-finals thanks to a goal from Rapinha, the executioner who has always punished Benfica lately.

A week ago, 20-year-old Portuguese girl Cristina Gomes Loureiro, from a small town called Carrazedo, near Braga, found herself on national television. A few days earlier she had decided to become a Benfica member and turned out to be the 400,000th. Barça's rival is the club with the most members in the entire world.