Real beat Benfica with Vini wondergoal and racism claim in Champions League

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Gazeta Esportiva.com

·17 February 2026

Real beat Benfica with Vini wondergoal and racism claim in Champions League

This Tuesday, Real Madrid defeated Benfica 1-0 in the first leg of the Champions League round of 16 playoffs. Vinícius Júnior scored the only goal of the match at the Estádio da Luz. After the goal, however, a major controversy halted the game. The Brazilian and midfielder Tchouaméni accused the Argentine Prestianni of racism, and the match was stopped with the application of the anti-racism protocol. After that, Vini Jr. was booed by the Portuguese fans for the remainder of the match.

Table Situation

With the result, Real Madrid takes a minimal advantage into the return match. The Spanish team will host Benfica next Wednesday at 5 PM (Brasília time) at the Santiago Bernabéu.

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📝MATCH SUMMARY?🔴 BENFICA 0 x 1 REAL MADRID ⚪

🏆 Competition: Champions League | Round of 16 Playoffs (first leg) 🏟️ Location: Estádio da Luz, in Lisbon (POR) 📅 Date: February 17, 2025 (Tuesday) ⏰ Time: 5 PM (Brasília time)

Goal

⚽ Vinícius Júnior, at 5′ of the 2nd half (Real Madrid)

Sending Off

🟥 José Mourinho, at 44′ of the 2nd half (Benfica)

How was the game?

Playing at home, Benfica set the pace at the start of the first half. At 15 minutes, Pavlidis received a pass from Prestianni and shot hard, but was stopped by a great save from Courtois. Towards the end, at 44, Real responded with Mbappé: the Frenchman made an individual play and shot across, but Trubin saved.

The score was opened at the beginning of the second half. At five minutes, Vinícius Júnior made a great individual play, finished accurately, and scored a stunning goal. The Brazilian received a yellow card after the celebration, and from there, the main controversy of the game began. Benfica's fans started booing the forward, while a commotion began to form at the Estádio da Luz.

As the teams were preparing to restart the match, Vinícius Jr. and Tchouaméni accused Prestianni, the Argentine forward from Benfica, of racism. Referee François Letexier activated the anti-racism protocol, and the match was halted for about ten minutes.

With the game resumed, Real Madrid maintained the dominance seen at the start of the second half, creating good chances with Vini Jr. and Mbappé, but were stopped by a great performance from Trubin. Towards the end, Benfica tried to press but couldn't find the equalizer.