"But Madrid finally made the breakthrough in stunning fashion after the interval, with Vinicius stepping inside Amar Dedic and curling home from near the left corner of the box. There was a lengthy stoppage immediately after the goal, though, with Vinicius running over to referee Francois Letexier following an interaction with Benfica's Gianluca Prestianni, with the officials stopping the game in line with UEFA's protocol for players raising allegations of racist abuse."
"Vinicius shot wide on the turn before teeing up Kylian Mbappe with a lovely backheel, only for the Frenchman - who had previously failed to make contact with Trent Alexander-Arnold's searching delivery - to fluff his lines. Mbappe was also denied by Anatoliy Trubin after skipping onto his left foot inside a crowded penalty area, with the Ukrainian later tipping Arda Guler's drive around the right post to keep it goalless at half-time."
Real Madrid defeated Benfica 1-0 in the first leg of their Champions League play-off at the Estadio da Luz. Vinicius Junior scored a 50th-minute curling strike from near the left corner of the box to secure the win. Play was paused for 10 minutes immediately after the goal when Vinicius reported an interaction with Benfica's Gianluca Prestianni, prompting UEFA protocol for allegations of racist abuse. Vinicius briefly sat in the dugout but returned to continue. Madrid created several first-half chances, with Kylian Mbappe and others denied by goalkeeper Anatoliy Trubin, who also parried a Vinicius effort. Benfica manager Jose Mourinho received two rapid cautions and was sent to the stands late on.
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