The Frenchman was referring to the first leg of the play-off tie, which Madrid won 1-0 last week, which was marred by alleged racial abuse aimed at Vinicius Junior by Benfica's Gianluca Prestianni.

Galatasaray scraped through to the last 16 of the Champions League despite throwing away a three-goal aggregate lead at 10-man Juventus on Wednesday, with two extra-time goals limiting the Turkish outfit to a 3-2 defeat.

Real Madrid coach Alvaro Arbeloa said that star striker Kylian Mbappe will not be making a speedy return from the knee injury that forced him out of the Champions League play-off second leg against Benfica on Wednesday.

Vinicius Junior scored the winner on the night as Real Madrid beat Benfica 2-1 in the Champions League on Wednesday, progressing 3-1 on aggregate to the last 16.

Paris Saint-Germain came from behind and then survived a late scare against 10-man Monaco, drawing 2-2 in the second leg of their Champions League knockout phase play-off tie on Wednesday to reach the last 16 with a 5-4 aggregate victory.

A stoppage-time Lazar Samardzic penalty gave Atalanta a 4-1 victory over Borussia Dortmund on Wednesday, sending the Italian side into the last 16 of the Champions League 4-3 on aggregate.

Elsewhere Atletico Madrid were held by Club Brugge in a thrilling 3-3 draw, while Bayer Leverkusen took a big step towards reaching the last 16 by beating Olympiacos 2-0 away in Greece.

"I want to clarify that at no time did I direct racist insults to Vini Jr, who regrettably misunderstood what he thought he heard," Prestianni wrote on his Instagram account.

Mikel Arteta believes Arsenal and England "get the benefit" from the friendly rivalry between Bukayo Saka and Noni Madueke as the duo battle to start for both club and country.

Paris Saint-Germain coach Luis Enrique dismissed any suggestions of dressing room disharmony as the reigning European champions prepared to put their continental title on the line this midweek against domestic rivals Monaco.

Benfica coach Jose Mourinho insisted he is capable of saying no to Real Madrid president Florentino Perez as he played down rumours of a return to the Spanish giants on Monday.

Arsenal powered into the FA Cup fifth round for the first time in six years as the quadruple chasers crushed Wigan 4-0 on Sunday.

Pep Guardiola insisted Erling Haaland is the "best striker in the world" despite refusing to confirm if the misfiring Manchester City star will start Sunday's crucial clash with Liverpool.

Liverpool's recruitment of rising stars will put the club on a sure footing for years to come, according to manager Arne Slot despite a difficult season for the Premier League champions.

Tottenham captain Cristian Romero slammed his squad's lack of depth as "disgraceful" after their quiet end to the transfer window on Monday.

Benfica beat Real 4-2 in their final game of the league phase on Wednesday, with a 98th-minute goal by goalkeeper Anatoliy Trubin.

Premier League clubs have flexed their muscle across Europe, with five English sides finishing in the top eight of the Champions League group phase. Arsenal, Liverpool, Tottenham, Manchester City, Newcastle and Chelsea all recorded higher win percentages in Europe than in this season’s Premier League.

Paris Saint-Germain coach Luis Enrique insisted Wednesday that a "catastrophic" run of Champions League matches against some of Europe's best sides had set his team up perfectly for the play-off round as he shrugged off suggestions not qualifying directly for the last 16 was a failure.

The record 15-time European champions fell to a 4-2 defeat at Jose Mourinho's Benfica, finishing ninth in the league phase table.

Real Madrid striker Kylian Mbappe admitted his team were not consistent enough for a top eight spot as his side slipped into the Champions League play-off round on Wednesday.