Real Madrid beat Benfica 1-0 in Champions League after racism protocol
Vinicius Junior silenced the hostile crowd in Lisbon with a match-winning goal on Tuesday, Feb. 17, but his performance was overshadowed by a fresh racism storm.
- Sports
- AFP
- Published Date: 01:22 | 18 February 2026
- Modified Date: 01:23 | 18 February 2026
Vinicius Junior scored the winning goal and was at the centre of a racism storm as Real Madrid beat Benfica 1-0 in the Champions League play-off first leg in Lisbon on Tuesday.
The match was halted for more than 10 minutes early in the second period after Brazilian Vinicius seemed to accuse Benfica's Argentine midfielder Gianluca Prestianni of calling him "mono" -- the Spanish word for monkey -- leading to French referee Francois Letexier applying the racism protocol.