Article #242701

Vinícius Júnior and his teammates appeared ready to walk off and the game was delayed for 10 minutes as the Brazilian was allegedly subject to racist abuse after scoring the goal that gives Real Madrid a 1-0 first-leg lead in their Champions League playoff against Benfica.

The forward had celebrated a sensational strike by dancing in the corner of the Estádio da Luz and in the confrontations that followed, Benfica’s Gianluca Prestianni said something to him while covering his mouth. Vinícius immediately ran to the referee, François Letexier, who stopped the match and crossed his arms to signal that he was activating the anti-racism protocol.