After enduring a chorus of boos, Vinícius Júnior danced once more, this time in front of Real Madrid fans as he propelled his team into the Champions League round of 16, just a week after alleging a Benfica player had racially insulted him.
The Brazilian star scored in the 80th minute, sealing a 2-1 win for the record 15-time European champions in the second leg of their playoff, advancing 3-1 on aggregate.
Vinícius celebrated with a dance near the corner flag, echoing his earlier celebration in front of Benfica supporters, which had sparked tensions with players from the Portuguese side and allegations that Gianluca Prestianni used a racial slur against him.
“I’m glad that Vini continues to dance; it means he’s scoring goals,” remarked Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois.
“That’s our Vinícius,” added midfielder Aurélien Tchouaméni, who netted Madrid’s first goal in the 16th minute shortly after Benfica took the lead from Rafa Silva.
Prestianni, who has denied the accusations of racial abuse and has received support from Benfica, was temporarily suspended for one match by UEFA and did not play on Wednesday, despite traveling to Spain. Earlier on the same day, UEFA dismissed Benfica’s last-minute appeal against the suspension.
The prior week’s match was paused for nearly 10 minutes after the referee implemented the anti-racism protocol following Vinícius’ complaint.
In Wednesday’s game, Vinícius scored during a breakaway, skillfully placing a low shot past the goalie for his sixth goal in five matches for Madrid.
Over 3,000 Benfica fans at the Bernabéu jeered every time Vinícius touched the ball, and they celebrated when he mishandled it early in the match. They also expressed their disdain when his name was announced in the starting lineup.
As the match progressed and Madrid took control, the boos gradually diminished.
Vinícius was also involved in the buildup to what could have been Madrid’s second goal, but it was ruled offside.
Before kick-off, Madrid fans displayed a banner reading “No To Racism,” along with a “Respect” banner behind one of the goals at the Bernabéu.
Following the match, Real Madrid released a statement urging their disciplinary committee to take action against a fan who was seen performing a Nazi salute just before the game.
The club noted that this individual was part of their organized fan group situated behind one of the goals at the Bernabéu.
“This individual was identified by security staff shortly after the incident and was immediately expelled from the stadium,” the club stated. “Real Madrid condemns gestures and expressions that incite violence and hatred in sports and society.”
Madrid fans also jeered when Benfica defender Nicolás Otamendi touched the ball. Otamendi, also Argentine, had confronted Vinícius after the Brazilian’s earlier celebration by the Benfica flag.
Benfica was also without coach José Mourinho, the former Madrid coach, who was sent off late in the first leg for his protests to the referee. Mourinho skipped the pregame press conference on Tuesday and watched the match from the stands.
Real Madrid defender Raúl Asencio suffered a hard collision with teammate Eduardo Camavinga and had to be carried off on a stretcher for testing at a local hospital in the second half.
Asencio fell heavily and required on-field medical attention for several minutes. His neck was immobilized before he was transported off the field.
Coach Álvaro Arbeloa noted that Asencio’s injury appeared to be a neck issue, but “it wasn’t serious.”
Madrid was already without French forward Kylian Mbappé, who missed the game due to a knee injury.
“I hope it’s not too serious, and that he can return in a few days or weeks,” Arbeloa expressed. “Without Kylian, we need [Vini] even more… He must step up as our leader.”
Contributions to this report were made by ESPN’s Alex Kirkland and The Associated Press.