Real Madrid claimed a 1-0 victory over Benfica in their Champions League playoff first leg on Tuesday, with Vinícius Júnior scoring a superb second-half winner in Lisbon.
The contest at the Estádio da Luz was overshadowed by allegations of racial abuse targeted at the Brazilian forward.
Goalkeepers Shine In Tense First Half
Benfica began brightly, but Real gradually took control of possession and chances.
Thibaut Courtois produced a sharp one-handed save to deny Fredrik Aursnes, while at the other end Anatoliy Trubin kept the hosts level with fine stops from Kylian Mbappé and Arda Güler.
Vinícius had earlier fired narrowly wide following good build-up play.
Stunning Strike Breaks The Deadlock
The breakthrough came five minutes after the restart. Mbappé surged forward and slipped the ball to Vinícius Júnior, who cut inside and unleashed a magnificent curling effort into the far top corner.
The Brazilian celebrated in front of the corner flag and was booked by referee François Letexier for excessive celebration.
Racism Allegation Halts Match
Moments later, the match was halted after Vinícius accused Benfica’s Gianluca Prestianni of directing a racist slur at him during a heated exchange.
Letexier stopped play for around 10 minutes under anti-racism protocols before the game resumed in a hostile atmosphere.
“It is unbelievable that, with dozens of cameras in the stadium, none could have caught the racial slur”
Real captain Federico Valverde said post-match.
“Many people have been fighting against racism in football, Vinícius is one of them. I’m proud of him and his great game.”
Late Drama And Second Leg Outlook
There were 12 minutes of added time following the stoppage, during which an object thrown from the crowd struck Vinícius on the arm as he prepared to take a corner.
Benfica manager José Mourinho was sent off late on after receiving two yellow cards.
Real Madrid held firm to take a slender advantage back to the Santiago Bernabéu for the return leg on February 25.
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