Vinicius strike seals Real Madrid win over Benfica amid racism controversy
Vinicius Junior produced a moment of brilliance to hand Real Madrid a 1-0 victory over Benfica in the first leg of their Champions League play-off tie, but the encounter was overshadowed by allegations of racist abuse directed at the Brazilian forward.
The decisive moment came five minutes after the restart at the Estadio da Luz in Lisbon. Cutting in from the left with little apparent space, Vinicius curled a superb effort into the top corner, leaving goalkeeper Anatoliy Trubin with no chance.
Shortly after scoring, the winger became involved in a heated exchange with Benfica’s Gianluca Prestianni. Vinicius then approached referee Francois Letexier, prompting the official to suspend play for more than 10 minutes while activating UEFA’s anti-racism protocol.
Real Madrid midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni later said his teammate reported being called a “monkey.” When play resumed, sections of the home crowd jeered the Brazilian, who had earlier been booked for celebrating in front of Benfica supporters.
On the pitch, Madrid showed greater composure than in their previous meeting, when they suffered a heavy defeat during the league phase. Goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois kept the visitors level in the first half with a strong save, while Kylian Mbappe — back from a minor knee issue — tested Trubin before the break.
Benfica pushed for an equaliser late on, but Madrid held firm to take a slender advantage into the return leg at the Santiago Bernabeu.
The closing stages grew increasingly tense, with Benfica coach Jose Mourinho shown a red card for protesting too forcefully. His dismissal means he will miss the decisive second leg against his former club.
Despite the controversy, Madrid’s narrow win gives them the upper hand as they aim to progress further in Europe’s elite competition.
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