Aurelien Tchouameni won the Man of the Match. Vinicius Junior scored the goal that sealed the game. Federico Valverde had two assists. But Real Madrid’s real hero against Benfica was Thibaut Courtois.
Even though he didn’t get a clean sheet in the second leg as in the first leg, Courtois was arguably even better in the decisive second matchup against Benfica in the opening round of the 2025/26 Champions League knockout stages.
Courtois was impeccable, making stupendous save after save to prevent Real Madrid from getting caught out on the break. He could do nothing about the opener that Benfica scored and steadied Los Merengues from there on.
It is so easy for the goalkeeper to get overlooked on a team like Real Madrid where you have stars like Vinicius Jr. balling out and even midfielders like Tchouameni and Valverde soaking up praise and awards.
But you know how frustratingly brilliant a goalkeeper is for opponents when even rival fanbases like Barcelona’s are singing the praises of Courtois and admitting that as good as their goalkeeper is, this big Belgian is simply from a planet of his own.
Real Madrid are already worrying about the day they will have to say goodbye to Tibo, because they know he is the deciding factor in so many games. Like all the great goalkeepers in history, Courtois seems to transcend the game itself on these Champions League nights – and quietly, he did it again on Wednesday night.
Joe Soriano is the editor of The Trivela Effect and a FanSided Hall of Famer who has covered world football since 2010. He’s led top digital communities like The Real Champs (Real Madrid) and has run sites covering Tottenham, Liverpool, Juventus, and Schalke. He also helped manage NFL Spin Zone and Daily DDT, covering the NFL and pro wrestling.