Vinicius Jr Seals Real Madrid’s Last-16 Spot After Racism Row Overshadows Build-Up – Eduzim News

Sports Correspondent – Real Madrid booked their place in the UEFA Champions League round of 16 with a hard-fought win over Benfica at the Santiago Bernabeu, as Vinicius Junior once again proved decisive.

The Brazilian forward had been at the centre of attention ahead of the match after alleging he was racially abused by Gianluca Prestianni during the first leg, a game in which Vinicius scored the only goal. Prestianni was handed a one-match suspension and did not feature in the return fixture.

Before kick-off in Madrid, home supporters displayed a banner reading “no to racism” in Spanish, a gesture of solidarity with the winger following the controversy.

Once the match got underway, Vinicius shifted the narrative back to football. With 10 minutes remaining, he latched onto his chance and fired a precise shot across goal to secure a 3-1 aggregate triumph for the Spanish giants.

Benfica had earlier shown resilience and threatened to complicate matters. They struck first in the 14th minute when Rafa Silva reacted quickest to convert after goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois blocked an attempted clearance from Raúl Asencio that nearly resulted in an own goal.

However, the visitors’ advantage was short-lived. Just two minutes later, Aurelien Tchouameni levelled the score with a superb curling effort from outside the penalty area — his first goal in Europe’s elite club competition.
Real were without injured star Kylian Mbappe and at times lacked sharpness in the final third, allowing Benfica to remain competitive and chase a leveller on aggregate.

But Vinicius, in red-hot form, had the final say. His sixth goal in five matches ensured Madrid’s progression and set up a last-16 encounter against either Manchester City or Sporting CP.

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