Vinícius and Mourinho, protagonists of a match marred by a racist incident

BarcelonaReal Madrid won the first leg of the first leg of the play-off Real Madrid secured a Champions League victory at Benfica's stadium thanks to a brilliant goal from Vinícius (0-1). The Brazilian was once again the center of attention, both for his skill and the controversy that usually surrounds him. After scoring the opening goal in the 50th minute, he went to celebrate in the corner with his usual exuberance, prompting criticism from Benfica fans. It was at that moment that Vinícius reported a racist insult from Benfica's Gianluca Prestianni, which immediately triggered the anti-racism protocol and forced the match to be stopped for almost 10 minutes. According to Vinícius, the Benfica player hurled a racist insult at him while he was celebrating the goal in front of the stands, although the Argentine covered his mouth with his shirt. Prestianni, however, vehemently denied the allegations and claimed he had received threats from Real Madrid players. Mbappé backed up his teammate's version of events after the match: "I've seen him call Vinícius a 'monkey' five times. He's a racist, he doesn't deserve to ever play in the Champions League again," he exclaimed.

Mourinho counterattacks and points the finger at Vinícius

After the match, Benfica coach José Mourinho returned to his characteristically direct style and launched a scathing attack on Vinícius. Speaking to Movistar Plus, he acknowledged having spoken with both the Brazilian and Prestianni, but avoided taking sides: "I can't say I 100% believe Prestianni, nor can I guarantee that what Vinícius says is absolutely true. I don't know." However, Mourinho focused particularly on the Brazilian's goal celebration, criticizing his attitude: "You have to celebrate with your teammates, not by provoking 60,000 people. You score a goal like that and you leave the pitch in your teammates' arms, not dancing in front of the entire stadium." This type of situation... the former Real Madrid coach, who was himself sent off during the match.

In fact, regarding his sending-off, Mourinho denounced preferential treatment for his former team: "The referee avoided booking Real Madrid players who were already on yellow cards. I know how this works after more than 1,400 matches," he said with his usual irony. In any case, he acknowledged the opponent's superiority: "Real Madrid deserved the victory," confessed the Benfica manager, who will have to come from behind at the Bernabéu without him on the bench.