Real won 2-1, with Vinicius Jr scoring the winner on 80 minutes. The result saw Real reach the Champions League round of 16 3-1 on aggregate.
Arbeloa said afterwards: “Not every day are the second halves better than the first. Perhaps my halftime talks are better than my pre-game talks. I'll have to take a look at that. In the first leg, we had a great first half, and today Benfica pressed us a lot and made things very difficult for us.
"Fortunately, we managed to equalize quickly, and it was a shame about the disallowed goal by Güler. We improved as the game went on. It’s true that whenever we adjust something that is troubling us, we manage to fix it in the second half, and that’s also good news.”
“Low blocks complicate things for every team, not just Real Madrid. Any low block, with ten players in a small space, makes it very difficult to attack. We have room for improvement in that area regardless of the characteristics of our players and the fact that they can excel when given space.
"We need to improve with a concept and a global idea that helps us attack better, be more organized, have greater fluidity in our play, and almost play with our eyes closed, which is what’s needed when attacking a low block. I’m very optimistic and hope to be able to help them improve.”
On Vinicius Jr's performance, he added: “I'm happy for the great goal he scored, because he deserves it and for the form he’s in. Without Mbappé, he is even more important, and I’m very happy for him because I think he truly deserves it.”