Vinicius dances and keeps Real Madrid in the Champions League in a lacklustre match

Another lacklustre Real Madrid side took to the pitch in front of their fans to settle a tie they should never have had to play. Their rollercoaster ride of a season has seen them at their best and worst, and because of that, they have been unable to find any consistency. It is true that injuries do not help, and now Asencio has been added to the list after a terrifying fall that sent him to hospital immobilised, and especially Mbappé. The mystery of the French player is solved by L'Equipe every week. Its journalists know more about the player than Arbeloa himself, who was unable to explain at a press conference whether the striker's knee was injured or fatigued.

Without their star striker, Vinicius and Gonzalo formed the Whites' attack, well supported by Camavinga, Tchouaméni and Valverde, with Güler bringing some flair to the midfield. The Uruguayan is back to his old self. He is no longer the midfielder who refused to play on the right wing with Xabi Alonso. His potential is more enjoyable to watch in that area of the pitch than hidden on the wing, and Alonso should have understood that and put a youth player on the wing rather than relegating Valverde.

Benfica dominated the game in the first 20 minutes, to the point of scoring a goal thanks to a move on the wing that Rafa Silva finished off after Asencio almost scored an own goal. Tchouaméni is taking off in midfield and equalised five minutes after that goal. The Frenchman says he has had Kroos as his private tutor, but the reality is that Madrid needs this player now that Camavinga has become a reckless player who runs around the midfield without much sense.

Mourinho watched the match from the bus, possibly with Prestianni, who travelled and trained, but did not count on UEFA's precautionary measure, which has set a thorny precedent with a sanction without evidence, although useful for the interests of the competition and to prevent the match from turning into a hunt for the Argentine from the stands and from the pitch.

The Portuguese team does not play bad football, as the Spanish press has tried to portray due to its animosity towards the Portuguese coach, who left a lot of scorched earth behind after his time in Madrid. They pass, they move, they press and they don't burn the ball even when it's inside the area. They had a good chance that Courtois miraculously saved. The Belgian goalkeeper explained that it was during his time at Chelsea that he learned to free one leg to dive to the ground and react quickly to those difficult shots for tall goalkeepers.

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