Vinicius Junior can spearhead Real Madrid's UEFA Champions League charge if he can dovetail with Kylian Mbappe, says expert

React to this story

Vinicius Junior can spearhead Real Madrid's UEFA Champions League charge - provided he is assisted by a fully fit Kylian Mbappe, believes Joe Cole. Madrid laboured to a 3-1 aggregate win over Benfica to book their place in Friday's round of 16 draw, live on TNT Sports, and Cole claims that so long as Mbappe returns to his best following injury, the pair could fire Madrid to a 16th European title.

Highlights: Real edge past Benfica to book last-16 place

Video credit: TNT Sports

Vinicius Junior was once more the difference as Real Madrid finally put Benfica to bed in the UEFA Champions League, and Joe Cole believes the Brazilian could be key to the club's hopes of a record-extending 16th European title this season.

A week on from a night that will be remembered for all the wrong reasons at the Estadio da Luz, Vinicius was making headlines once more as it was his late goal that settled the second leg, and a 3-1 aggregate win, for Alvaro Arbeloa's side.

The Brazilian had been at the centre of attention following his allegation of racist abuse by Gianluca Prestianni in the first leg - an incident that resulted in a one-match suspension for the Benfica winger.

Transfers

Arsenal push to secure Guimaraes and Vinicius deals - Paper Round

7 hours ago

Before kick-off, banners bearing the message "no to racism" were unfurled in the stands, a show of solidarity from the home support.

Then, with the tie still finely poised and Madrid lacking their usual attacking fluency in the absence of the injured Kylian Mbappe, Vinicius stepped forward 10 minutes from time.

The 25-year-old surged into space and drilled a composed finish across goal, sealing victory and shifting the narrative decisively back to football.

‘Felt extra special’ – Vinicius Junior praised for replicating celebration in Madrid win

Video credit: TNT Sports

"There's the headline," Steve McManaman said on co-commentary duty for TNT Sports. "It's been a real quiet night at the Bernabeu, but the man of the moment steps up.

"Once Vinicius Junior was away, Nicolas Otamendi couldn't catch him. He opens his body up and places it in with his right foot."

It was a moment of quality in an otherwise uninspiring performance from the hosts, who were heavily depleted and struggled for fluency throughout.

Benfica had made them work. An early opener from Rafa Silva, capitalising on defensive confusion involving Thibaut Courtois, briefly unsettled the holders.

But parity was restored almost immediately when Aurelien Tchouameni curled home his first Champions League goal.

Vinicius, in irresistible recent form, then provided one more, his sixth goal in five games, offering a reminder of his resilience as much as his quality.

Speaking in the TNT Sports studio afterwards, Cole believes Madrid can progress all the way to the final in Budapest - but only if Mbappe and Vinicius remain fit.

‘They’re going to put it all together’ - Are Real Madrid close to finding form?

Video credit: TNT Sports

"It's job done, and it had to be that man, Vinicius," Cole said. "He was in the headlines last week, and I thought he was brilliant across both legs.

"His finish was superb, but they need their best players back quickly. They will be there or thereabouts, that's for sure.

"When Vinicius gets into that sort of position, nobody thought there would be any other outcome. He was just going to dispatch it into the bottom corner.

"He is a real joy to watch as a player. If they can get him and Mbappe on it together, they could beat anyone in Europe - that's for sure."

On his goal celebration, Joleon Lescott was delighted to see Vinicius copy the same dance he performed by the corner flag following his brilliant strike in the first leg in Lisbon.

"I was glad Vinicius went to the corner flag and replicated the same celebration he did away to Benfica," said Lescott.

"It shows he didn't let all that get to his performance and he executed an impressive finish."

‘Didn’t cover himself in glory’ – Alexander-Arnold's defensive struggles analysed

Video credit: TNT Sports

Alexander-Arnold: We let our football do the talking

Madrid march on and will now await either Manchester City or Sporting in the next round, with the draw taking place on Friday, live on TNT Sports and discovery+.

Trent Alexander-Arnold said: "It was exactly what we expected. We've played them three times now in this competition, so we fully expected a difficult game.

"They came out and attacked us early, which of course they needed to. It was a test and a challenge with them scoring the opening goal.

"It could have changed our mentality and the way we played our game, but we reacted in the perfect way.

"We showed our resilience and Aurelien produced a fantastic finish and then Vini helped us see the game out at the perfect time to put the tie to bed.

"Then it was a case of staying mature and trying not to chase more goals. We kept the ball and we managed the game excellently."

'We let our football do the talking' - Alexander-Arnold reflects on Madrid's win over Benfica

Video credit: TNT Sports

Alexander-Arnold revealed that he and his team-mates were able to focus fully on getting the job done on Wednesday despite the ongoing UEFA investigation into the events that overshadowed the first leg.

"I don't want to say what's happened is in the past, and I don't want to downplay how big an issue it is with what actually happened, but our focus was just getting through," he added.

"It wasn't about sending a message to anyone, it was just about winning a game, letting our football do the talking and that's what we did."

Stream the Premier League, Men’s and Women’s FA Cup, UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League, UEFA Conference League and more on TNT Sports and discovery+

Transfers