Player Ratings: Real Madrid 2 – 1 Benfica

Real Madrid booked their place in the next round with a hard-fought 2-1 win over Benfica at the Santiago Bernabéu. It wasn’t always comfortable, but individual quality — and timely interventions — made the difference.

Thibaut Courtois: 8
Made four saves on the night, including one outrageous stop in the first half. Left completely exposed on Benfica’s goal, with little protection from the defense. Impossible to fault him for the concession.

Trent Alexander-Arnold: 6.5
A mixed evening. Defensively, he was targeted and beaten on multiple occasions. But as always, he had several line-breaking passes and created danger in the box.

Raúl Asencio: 5
Another chaotic outing. There were nervy moments and positional lapses, but the overriding concern is his health. He suffered a frightening injury in the second half and was stretchered off. The focus now is on his recovery.

Antonio Rüdiger: 6
Struggled at times with balls played over the top, especially when Benfica attacked quickly. Still, he embodied resilience late on, throwing his body into challenges and helping Madrid see out the result.

Álvaro Carreras: 6.5
Strong in isolated 1v1 situations and aggressive in his approach. However, a couple of risky gambles left space behind him. Overall, a solid but imperfect defensive shift.

Fede Valverde: 8.5
Outstanding. One of his best performances this season. Relentless with his runs down the right flank and decisive in the final third. Two assists and four key passes tell the statistical story, but his energy and dynamism drove Madrid forward all night.

Arda Güler: 7
Defensively vulnerable at times and can still struggle against physical opponents. But on a special night — his 100th appearance for the club and his 21st birthday — he showed quality on the ball, linking play intelligently and distributing with purpose.

Aurélien Tchouaméni: 8.5
Immense. Dominant in duels, aggressive in his pressing, and composed in possession. Crowned his performance with a superb goal to open the scoring. Set the tone physically and tactically.

Eduardo Camavinga: 6.5
Caught ball-watching on Benfica’s goal, a costly lapse. However, he recovered well and grew into the match, helping progress the ball alongside Tchouaméni and offering support defensively to Carreras.

Gonzalo García: 6
Had difficulty imposing himself and struggled to find rhythm in the final third. That said, his presence inside the box created space for Vinícius and he worked tirelessly off the ball.

Vinícius Jr.: 8.5
A constant menace. Gave Dedic problems throughout with his dribbling and unpredictability. Took his goal decisively in the second half — a strike that ultimately sealed the victory.

David Alaba: 6.5
Entered following Asencio’s injury and brought calmness and experience. Defensively steady and positionally sound.

Franco Mastantuono: 6.5
Didn’t have notable attacking contributions, but came on with a clear defensive mandate and executed it with intensity and discipline.

Thiago Pitarch, César Palacios, Fran García: N/A
Limited minutes prevent proper evaluation, though Pitarch impressed in build-up play aside from one misplaced pass, and Palacios showed flashes of technical quality with a few elegant touches in the final third.