Real Madrid’s win against Benfica to reach the Champions League last 16 was a “victory for everyone who stands against racism”, midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni says. During the first leg, after the Real forward scored the game’s lone goal, Vinicius Jr. claimed he was subjected to racial insults by Gianluca Prestianni of Benfica.
After that, Prestianni, who had denied racially assaulting the Brazilian, was given a one-match suspension, which prevented him from playing in the second leg on Wednesday. Support for Vinicius was shown by the home fans, who displayed a banner reading “no to racism” in Spanish in the stands before kick-off.
Vinicius was again on the scoresheet, netting Real Madrid’s second goal as the Spanish side came from 1-0 down on the night to win 2-1 and book their place in the next round with a 3-1 aggregate victory. “I think there are more important things than this match, than football,” said Tchouameni, who scored Real’s first-half equaliser. “Vinicius keeps his confidence, and he keeps focused on what he needs to do. “I think they made the right decision by not letting the boy [Prestianni] play this match. “As I said, there are things more important than football, and this is a victory for all of us.”
Trent Alexander-Arnold, a defender for Real Madrid and England, claimed that Vinicius had been “very chilled” and “very relaxed” before the match. “He didn’t need to score to send a message or show his mentality,” said the former Liverpool player. “He doesn’t need to prove anything to anyone because he’s shown time and time again how good he is. “He steps up when we need him the most. He knows his quality and what he brings to the team.”
Vinicius Jr. danced close to the corner flag to celebrate his goal in the first leg, and he repeated the same on Wednesday after his goal in the 80th minute gave Real breathing room in the match. The Brazilian posted on social media after the match that “the dance goes on”. “He was brilliant over both legs,” former Chelsea forward Joe Cole said on TNT Sports. “His finish was superb.”
Real Madrid boss Alvaro Arbeloa said: “[I reacted] with joy obviously, for the great goal he scored, and because it was him, he deserves it.” Real goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois added: “I’m happy that Vini’s dancing, still dancing, because it means he’s scoring goals.” Although he was unable to sit in the dugout due to suspension, the game marked Jose Mourinho’s first visit back to Real Madrid’s home since he managed them from 2010 to 2013.
On a night of celebration for Real Madrid, the one negative was that Kylian Mbappe missed the game through injury and is set for some time out with a knee problem. “After yesterday’s session, we talked with the doctors, I spoke with him, and we felt the best thing was for him to stop, to recover 100%, and to come back in top shape, confident and without any discomfort for everything that’s coming, which is obviously very important,” said Arbeloa.
“I hope that it’s not a very serious injury, nothing major, and that he’ll be able to come back in a few days or weeks.”
