Real Madrid vs Benfica: Arbeloa hails Vinicius for carrying Los Blancos without Mbappe

Vinicius Junior scored the winning goal in the 80th minute as Real Madrid defeated Benfica 3-1 on aggregate and moved forward to the UEFA Champions League round of 16.

Vinicius was a huge talking point after being the victim of alleged racist abuse in the first leg, and all eyes were on the Brazilian at the Bernebau.

The pressure was heavier in the absence of Kylian Mbappe, who was ruled out with an injury 24 hours before kickoff.

After the game, Madrid boss Arbeloa said he was really happy with Vinícius.

"I felt joy for the great goal he scored. He deserves it, and he is in great form," Arbeloa said.

"Without Mbappe, Vini is even more important... I’m happy because he did well and he deserves it, because of his form and how well he’s playing."

These words show how important Vinícius is to the team right now. With Kylian Mbappé out due to injury, plus Jude Bellingham, Éder Militao, and Rodrygo also missing, Real Madrid needed players to step up. Vinícius became the main leader up front.

Arbeloa also offered some positive news on Mbappe, suggesting the striker's return is imminent.

“Yesterday, he had to leave training, and he’d indeed been feeling discomfort on other days, and we’d decided to play him.

"However, after yesterday, we talked and thought it was best for him to stop and come back 100%. From now on, we’ll wait and see. We’ll see if it’s a matter of days. Let’s hope it doesn’t take too long. But it will take as long as it takes for the discomfort to go away.”