Real Madrid, Paris Saint-Germain, Atalanta, and Galatasaray progressed to the Champions League last 16 after second-leg playoff matches on February 25, 2026, while Benfica, Monaco, Borussia Dortmund, and Juventus were eliminated. Atalanta secured a late victory over Dortmund, and Juventus mounted a spirited comeback against Galatasaray but fell short in extra time. The round of 16 draw is scheduled for Friday.
The UEFA Champions League playoff second legs delivered goals and tension across four ties. In Bergamo, Atalanta overturned a 2-0 first-leg deficit against Borussia Dortmund with a 4-1 win, advancing 4-3 on aggregate. Gianluca Scamacca opened the scoring in the fifth minute from Lorenzo Bernasconi's cross. Davide Zappacosta's shot deflected off Ramy Bensebaini for a 2-0 halftime lead. Mario Pasalic headed in the third goal on 59 minutes, but Karim Adeyemi pulled one back for Dortmund in the 75th. In stoppage time, Bensebaini's foul on Nikola Krstovic led to a penalty, which Lazar Samardzic converted in the 98th minute after a VAR review. Bensebaini received a second yellow card, and Nico Schlotterbeck was sent off from the bench for protesting.
At Parc des Princes, holders Paris Saint-Germain drew 2-2 with Monaco but advanced 5-4 on aggregate following their 3-2 first-leg win. Maghnes Akliouche gave Monaco the lead just before halftime, leveling the tie at 3-3 aggregate. Monaco's Mamadou Coulibaly was sent off in the 59th minute after two yellows in four minutes for fouls on Nuno Mendes and Achraf Hakimi. Marquinhos equalized two minutes later from Desire Doue's cross, and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia tapped in the second goal six minutes after, making it 5-3 aggregate. Substitute Jordan Teze pulled one back in the first minute of stoppage time, but PSG held on. Desire Doue noted post-match, “At the end, when they scored, we felt stressed and it was scary.”
In Turin, Juventus lost 3-2 to Galatasaray after extra time, with the Turkish side winning 7-5 on aggregate despite a 5-2 first-leg lead. Manuel Locatelli scored a 37th-minute penalty for a 1-0 halftime lead (5-3 aggregate). Lloyd Kelly was sent off three minutes into the second half for a foul on Baris Alper Yilmaz, upgraded to a straight red after VAR. Federico Gatti and Weston McKennie scored in the 70th and 82nd minutes to force extra time at 5-5 aggregate. Victor Osimhen restored Galatasaray's lead in extra time, and Baris Alper Yilmaz sealed the win late on.
Real Madrid defeated Benfica 2-1 (3-1 aggregate) at the Bernabeu, despite missing Kylian Mbappe due to injury. Benfica scored in the 14th minute, but Aurelien Tchouameni equalized two minutes later. Vinicius Junior added the winner from Federico Valverde's pass. Benfica played without Gianluca Prestianni, provisionally suspended by UEFA for allegedly directing a slur at Vinicius in the first leg; Prestianni denied racism but admitted to an anti-gay slur. The winners will face opponents from the top eight seeds in the round of 16 draw on Friday.
