Istanbul cauldron to Lisbon showdown: Europe’s top tournament begins

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Radio Gol

·16 February 2026

Istanbul cauldron to Lisbon showdown: Europe’s top tournament begins

The UEFA Champions League enters its most thrilling stage. This Tuesday marks the start of the first leg of the playoffs with a lineup of four matches, where all eyes are on the Estádio da Luz. There, Benfica will host Real Madrid at 17:00 (Argentine time), in what promises to be a clash with an immediate taste of revenge.

The matchup has recent history that borders on cinematic. In the last round of the group stage, both teams starred in a historic finish: Madrid only needed to lose by one goal to advance directly to the round of 16, while the Portuguese needed to win by two to avoid elimination. In the final play of the match, Ukrainian goalkeeper Anatoliy Trubin scored an unbelievable goal to seal the 4-2 that sent “Los Merengues” to the playoffs and rescued “Las Águilas.” To spice things up even more, Benfica has José Mourinho on the bench, who will be reunited with his former club.

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Tuesday’s action is rounded out by three other high-impact clashes

Monaco vs. PSG (17:00): A high-stakes French showdown for the reigning champion, who will have to defend their title away from home.
Borussia Dortmund vs. Atalanta (17:00): The “Yellow Wall” will set the stage for a tie that promises goals and dynamism.
Galatasaray vs. Juventus (14:45): The Istanbul inferno will kick off the day’s action in a matchup expected to be extremely physical and tight.
The action continues on Wednesday with the debut of the Argentine teams: Lautaro Martínez’s Inter will visit Bodo Glimt in Norway, and “Cholo” Simeone’s Atlético de Madrid will travel to Belgium to face Brugge. Newcastle will also take on Qarabag and Bayer Leverkusen will face Olympiakos.