Real Madrid vs. Benfica live stream: Where to watch online, start time
Real Madrid host Benfica on Wednesday at the Bernabeu after the eventful 1-0 victory in Lisbon last week. The first leg of the playoffs was monopolized by the episode involving Benfica midfielder Gianluca Prestianni and Vinicius Jr. Prestianni has been provisionally suspended by the UEFA Control, Ethics and Disciplinary Body (CEDB) and will miss the second leg of the Champions League qualifier against Real Madrid, which takes place on Wednesday at the Bernabeu. Prestianni has been at the center of a whirlwind centered around comments he made to Madrid striker Vinicius Junior after scoring Lisbon’s stunning winner in the 1-0 victory at the Estadio Da Luz. The match was interrupted for 10 minutes as Vini Jr. reported an alleged racial incident following the Argentine midfielder’s comments. According to multiple reports, Prestianni could potentially face a minimum 10-match ban from UEFA.
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- Date: Wednesday February 25 | Time: 3 p.m. ET
- Location: Bernabéu — Madrid
- Live broadcast: Paramount+
- Odds: Real Madrid -189; Draw +360; Benfica+455
French referee François Letexier made a crossed-arms gesture above his head, an initiative adopted by FIFA in 2024 to allow players and officials to report that they believe there has been racist abuse on the pitch. TV cameras captured Benfica striker Gianluca Prestianni speaking to Vinicius with his shirt covering his mouth and the Real Madrid man then appeared to make a reference to it while speaking to Letexier.
Real Madrid superstar Vinicius Junior leaves the pitch following an alleged racist incident at Benfica.
James Bengé
Posting on his Instagram Stories after the match, Vinicius said: “Racists are, above all, cowards. They have to put their shirts over their mouths to show how weak they are. But they have, on their side, the protection of others who, in theory, have an obligation to punish. Nothing that happened today is new in my life and that of my family. I received a yellow card for celebrating a goal. I still don’t understand why. From one On the other hand, just a poorly executed protocol that served no purpose. I don’t like to appear in situations like this, even more so after a big victory and when the headlines have to talk about Real Madrid, but it’s necessary.
FIFA and UEFA, along with many football figures around the world, condemned the episode and the European governing body opened an investigation into the matter. On Monday, on the eve of Wednesday’s return match at the Bernabeu, the UEFA Control, Ethics and Disciplinary Body (CEDB) confirmed the provisional suspension, with investigations still ongoing: “Following the appointment of a UEFA Ethics and Disciplinary Inspector (EDI) to investigate allegations of discriminatory behavior during the 2025/2026 UEFA Champions League knockout play-off between SL Benfica and Real Madrid CF on February 17, 2026, and at the request of EDI accompanied by an interim report, the UEFA Control, Ethics and Disciplinary Body (CEDB) today decided to provisionally suspend Mr. Gianluca Prestianni from the next (1) UEFA club competition match for which he would otherwise be eligible for a prima facie violation of Article 14 of the UEFA Disciplinary Regulations (DR) linked to discriminatory behavior the conclusion of the ongoing investigation and its respective submission to the UEFA disciplinary bodies.
Mourinho did not speak before the match
Benfica manager José Mourinho was the center of criticism for his post-match remarks on the episode. The Special One also received a red card and will miss Wednesday’s match and did not attend the pre-match press conference ahead of the match against Real Madrid. Speaking to the media after the first leg, Mourinho said: “I told Vinicius Jr, when you score a goal like that, you just celebrate and come back. When he was talking about racism, I told him he was the greatest person in the history of this club. [Eusebio] was black. This club, the last thing there is, is racist. »
Several football figures have criticized Mourinho for his comments. Bayern Munich coach Vincent Kompany, for example, described his comments as a “huge mistake”. Kompany added: “Mourinho basically attacked Vinicius Jr.’s character by discrediting the type of celebration he did. It was a huge mistake in terms of leadership and something we should not accept. Do you know what black players had to go through in the 60s? Was he there to travel with Eusebio to every away match and see what he experienced? At the time, the only option Eusebio had was probably to keep quiet, not to say anything and to be ten times better just to get some credit,” Kompany said at a press conference.
Will Mbappé miss the return match?
Real Madrid star Kylian Mbappe could miss the second leg in Madrid due to a minor injury he suffered on Tuesday before the match in training, as reported by several sources, including L’Equipe and Marca. According to the Spanish media outlet, Mbappé will only make the final decision on his involvement before Wednesday’s match.
Arbeloa on Prestianni
Speaking before the match, Real Madrid coach Alvaro Arbeloa spoke about the episode between Prestianni and Vincius Jr: “We did not speak and my opinion remains the same as last week. We are facing a great opportunity to take a significant step forward in the fight against racism. UEFA has always been a strong supporter of the fight against racism, and now they have the opportunity not to leave it as a simple slogan or a beautiful banner before matches. I hope they take this opportunity. We are very focused on “.
