As Vinicius Jr sat on his own in the dugout at the Estadio da Luz, arguments raged on around him between coaches and players while the Real Madrid forward sipped on his water. The Brazilian had told referee Francois Letexier he had been racially abused by Benfica midfielder Gianluca Prestianni - an allegation the Argentina international has denied. Moments earlier, the 25-year-old Vinicius had scored a world-class goal which would give Real Madrid a 1-0 win in the first leg of their Champions League knockout play-off round tie. "I don't think anyone feels really happy with it, and I think everyone feels dissatisfied with it. "But I don't think anyone's been able to come up with an alternative that's better."

Source: BBC February 18, 2026 19:25 UTC