OneFootball
·17 February 2026
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Yahoo sportsOneFootball
·17 February 2026
During the Champions League playoff duel between Benfica and Real Madrid, football took a backseat. After the Royals took a 1-0 lead in the 50th minute, the game was interrupted for more than ten minutes.
Background: Goal scorer Vinicius Junior visibly emotional approached referee Francois Letexier. Since he shortly thereafter triggered the racism protocol and stopped the match, it is likely that Vinicius complained about a racist comment from Benfica player Gianluca Prestianni.
The crux: While Prestianni was speaking to the Real star, he held his jersey over his mouth. Thus, Letexier lacked the necessary evidence to penalize Prestianni. However, given this conspicuous action, it is obvious that the Argentine expressed himself offensively.
In any case, the Madrilenians made serious accusations against their opponent after the final whistle. Captain Federico Valverde stated: “When you cover your mouth with your shirt while speaking, you obviously want to say something really ugly.” Prestianni uttered a word “that should never be used. What he said was pathetic."
Real coach Álvaro Arbeloa expressed similar sentiments. “Ask Prestianni what he said," he raged. “This is unacceptable. We cannot accept such things.”
Kylian Mbappé was even more specific. Speaking to 'TNT Sports', he said: “Number 25, whose name I don't want to mention because he doesn't deserve it, started saying unacceptable words, but then covered his mouth with his jersey so the cameras couldn't see, and said five times to Vini that he was a monkey."
Vinicius, who was almost continuously booed and had cups thrown at him by the spectators after the interruption, immediately returned to attack mode after the match. “Bernabeu, see you there!!!!!" he wrote meaningfully on 'Instagram'. The famous and notorious Real stadium will host the return match next Wednesday.
This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇩🇪 here.
📸 Angel Martinez - 2026 Getty Images









































