Florentino Pérez and Rui Costa exchange gifts before Real Madrid v Benfica amid tense week | OneFootball

On Wednesday night at the Santiago Bernabéu, Rui Costa and Florentino Pérez exchanged gifts in the presidential box before Real Madrid v Benfica, the Champions League play-off second leg for a place in the last 16. The gesture offered a moment of cordiality after a fraught few days.

According to Glorioso 1904, the exchange drew attention amid recent tensions. Real Madrid had won the first leg 1-0 at the Estádio da Luz, then took the return 2-1 in Madrid.

UEFA provisionally suspended the Argentine winger Prestianni, which meant he was unavailable for the second leg.

Before the trip on Tuesday morning, Rui Costa said Benfica believed nothing had been proven and that the player's absence from this match was not justified.

He argued that one matter did not erase the other and urged that events from the home leg should not be forgotten, pointing to what he viewed as a clear aggression by Valverde and saying the midfielder ought to have been left out of the return game.

Source: Glorioso 1904