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EspañolReal Madrid vs. Benfica: Sidny Cabral defends "thoughtless act" following Los Blancos defeat
Cabral explains himself after Bernabeu controversy
Real Madrid vs. Benfica: Sidny Cabral defends "thoughtless act" following Los Blancos defeat
Benfica winger Sidny Lopes Cabral apologised after facing criticism for asking Vinicius Junior for his shirt following defeat to Real Madrid.
Incident after Champions League defeat in Madrid
A controversial moment took place after Real Madrid beat Benfica 2-1 in Champions League on Wednesday night at the Santiago Bernabeu.
According to Portuguese newspaper Record, Benfica’s Cape Verde international Sidny Cabral came under fire from his own supporters after he was seen asking Vinicius Junior to swap shirts at the end of the match.
The request angered sections of the Benfica fanbase who viewed the gesture as inappropriate following elimination from the competition.
Strong reaction from Benfica supporters
Following the match, Cabral was heavily criticised on social media by Benfica fans. Some supporters accused him of lacking respect for the club while others called for him to leave the team.
The backlash was made worse by recent tension involving Vinicius. During the first leg in Lisbon which Real Madrid won 1-0, the Brazilian forward was targeted by verbal abuse and objects thrown from the stands.
Some Benfica fans felt Vinicius had provoked them by celebrating with dance after scoring the winning goal.
Cabral issues apology
In response to the reaction, Cabral moved quickly to calm the situation. Record reported that the player apologised to Benfica’s management and his teammates insisting that he had no intention of causing harm or creating problems inside the squad.
Cabral explained that once he understood the negative impact of his action on team unity, he changed his mind and did not complete the shirt exchange with Vinicius.
Dylan Larkin still golden as Detroit Red Wings veto Senators in OT
How does the saying go? You can take the captain out of the gold medal game, but you can't take the gold out of the captain?
Well, something like that.
The Detroit Red Wings opened the second half of the NHL season in Ottawa as captain Dylan Larkin scored his second goal of the game at 1:50 of overtime, giving the Wings a 2-1 win on Thursday, Feb. 26, 2026.
Larkin, an Olympic gold medalist for Team USA on Sunday, started the winning rush Thursday with a pass to Lucas Raymond at center ice. Larkin then got behind Ottawa’s Shane Pinto, took the return pass, deked and slid a backhand shot between the pads of Linus Ullmark for his 28th goal of the season.
John Gibson made 26 saves for the Red Wings, who had lost four of five before the break. Raymond, an Olympian with Sweden, had two assists.
Fellow U.S. gold medalist Brady Tkachuk scored for the Senators, who had won five of six before the break. Ullmark made 18 saves.
Detroit Red Wings playoff picture
The Red Wings (34-19-6) have won the first three meetings of the season series, including two in overtime. The win jumped the Wings into second place in the Atlantic Division, a point ahead of the Montreal Canadiens (who lost in overtime on Thursday and still have a game in hand on the Wings) but six points back of the Tampa Bay Lightning, who have two games in hand on the Wings.
Next up for the Red Wings
The Wings have just two more games remaining in their semi-epic road swing; in all, the Wings will spend just five games away from Little Caesars Arena, but that will cover a span of 31 days (and all of February), with two games before the Olympic break, the time for Larkin, Raymond and defenseman Moritz Seider in Milan, and then three more visits around the league. The Wings are on to Carolina for a matchup with the Metropolitan Division-leading Hurricanes on Saturday (7 p.m., FanDuel Sports Network). That's followed by a Monday matinee (2 p.m.) against the Predators in Nashville before the Wings finally return home to host the Vegas Golden Knights on Wednesday.
An early veto by the refs
The Wings appeared to take an early lead off a goal by Michael Rasmussen, who had not scored since the last time the Wings and Senators played, on Jan. 5 (also in Ottawa). But the goal was waved off on an offsides challenge, with big Elmer Söderblom inching into the offensive zone seconds before the puck controlled by Rasmussen did.
Tkachuk then gave the Senators a 1-0 lead with a power-play goal 18:44 into the first period. Jake Sanderson’s point shot deflected off the skate of Rasmussen to Tkachuk, who scored on a wrist shot from the high slot.
Larkin answered with a power-play goal at 5:24 of the second period. Raymond skated along the goal line and slid a back-hand pass to Larkin, who one-timed it past Ullmark from the bottom of the left circle.
Gibson maintained the tie early in the third period when a shot by Pinto got behind him but he knocked the puck away with his left skate before it crossed the goal line.
Pinto had a good opportunity on the rush in the final seconds of regulation but Gibson made a blocker save.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Dylan Larkin still golden as Detroit Red Wings veto Senators in OT
Schaefer Makes NHL History With Record
The New York Islanders' Matthew Schaefer has accomplished a remarkable feat, setting an all-time NHL record that places him alone at the top of the league's history books.
The young player's achievement marks a significant milestone in his career and franchise history, with the Islanders organization celebrating this historic moment.