close
Thursday, February 26, 2026

UCL: Real Madrid, PSG, Galatasaray move to round of 16

Real Madrid knocked out Benfica in their third meeting, beating the visitors 2-1 after a dramatic 1-0 victory in the first leg of the playoffs.

• February 26, 2026
Osimhen in Galatasaray shirt
Osimhen in Galatasaray shirt

Real Madrid eliminated Benfica from the Champions League with a 2-1 victory, beating the Portuguese side 3-1 on aggregate, as Galatasaray and PSG both qualify for the round of 16.

Real Madrid knocked out Benfica in their third meeting, beating the visitors 2-1 after a dramatic 1-0 victory in the first leg of the playoffs.

Madrid maintained their 1-0 advantage despite Benfica opening the scoring with a goal from Rafa Silva at the Bernabéu on Wednesday.

The Los Blancos responded immediately in just two minutes in the 16th minute with a goal from Aurélien Tchouaméni.

Madrid kept up the high pressure as Benfica showed no threat to their hosts, and after the break, just as in the first leg, Vinicius Junior scored again to put the game at 2-1 and seal the game on aggregate 3-1.

Now Madrid look up to face either Manchester City or Sporting in the quarter-finals draw.

Over in Paris, current holders PSG survived a nervy comeback from Monaco in a 2-2 draw, which came through an advantage as Monaco were reduced to ten men, allowing the home side to net in two from Marquinhos and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, while Monaco responded late, but it wasn’t enough to alter the aggregate score.

This secured a 5-4 aggregate for the reigning champions, enabling them to advance to the last 16 of the Champions League.

Wednesday Champions League action continued in Turin as Galatasaray survived a near miss in 120 minutes of intense action, with Juventus delivering a three-goal comeback through Manuel Locatelli, Federico Gatti, and Weston McKennie.

The match went into extra time.

The visitors responded with a goal from Victor Osimhen, who netted a brilliant strike from the edge of the box, and the victory was sealed by another from Baris Yilmaz, settling the intense game 3-2 (in favour of Juventus on that night) and 7-5 on aggregate (in favour of the Turkish club).

We have recently deactivated our website's comment provider in favour of other channels of distribution and commentary. We encourage you to join the conversation on our stories via our Facebook, Twitter and other social media pages.

More from Peoples Gazette

farmers

Agriculture

FG tasks ECOWAS on leveraging financing strategies for agroecology

The federal government has urged stakeholders in the agriculture and finance sectors in the West Africa region to leverage financing strategies to enhance agroecology practices

Katsina State

Politics

Katsina youths pledge to deliver over 2 million votes to Atiku

“Katsina State is Atiku’s political base because it is his second home.”

Fire at Murtala Muhammed International Airport’s terminal one

Lagos

NAMA restores Lagos airspace communication after MMIA fire

The fire reportedly began about 3:30 p.m. on Monday and was contained by firefighters from the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria and other responders.

Kano State Pilgrims Welfare Board

States

2026 Hajj: Kano to airlift first batch of pilgrims on May 13

The Kano State Pilgrims Welfare Board on Wednesday confirmed that the first batch of pilgrims will be airlifted on May 13 for the 2026 hajj.

Police officers

States

Police boost operational readiness with combat training in Anambra

Police commissioner Ikioye Orutugu says combat and armed drills among newly trained personnel will ensure decisive, lawful responses to emerging threats in Anambra.

Stock Market

Economy

Equities market sheds N74 billion

The Nigerian equities market continued in a negative position on Wednesday as investors lost N74 billion amid sustained sell pressure across major stocks.

Gbenga Komolafe

Economy

Deadline for 2025 licensing round registration, pre-qualification is Friday: NUPRC

NUPRC says the registration and submission of pre-qualification applications for the Nigeria 2025 Licensing Round will close at 4.30 p.m. on Friday.

raw shea nut

Economy

Tinubu approves extension of ban on raw shea nut exports

He also approved the adoption of an export framework established by the Nigerian Commodity Exchange and the withdrawal of all waivers allowing the direct export of raw shea nuts.