"It is unbelievable that, with dozens of cameras in the stadium, that none could have caught [Prestianni's] racial slur, but if you cover your mouth to say something, that says a lot, Real captain Federico Valverde told Movistar Plus. According to my teammates who were close, they heard something very ugly. Many people have been fighting against racism in football; Vinicius is one of them. I'm proud of him and his great game."
"Benfica began the game on the front foot, but the visitors gradually assumed control while the hosts appeared content to counterattack, with goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois producing a stunning one-handed save to keep out a 25th-minute strike from Fredrik Aursnes. Real finished the first half strongly, and only goalkeeper Anatoliy Trubin's brilliance kept the score goalless at the break as he produced stunning saves to deny Kylian Mbappe and Arda Guler."
Vinicius Jr scored a second-half winner as Real Madrid defeated Benfica 1-0 in the Champions League playoff first leg at the Estadio da Luz. Moments after the goal, Vinicius accused Benfica winger Gianluca Prestianni of directing a racial slur, prompting referee Francois Letexier to stop the match for 11 minutes under FIFA's anti-racism protocol. Television footage showed Prestianni covering his mouth before speaking, and nearby Real players interpreted the comment as racist. Real captain Federico Valverde and teammates said those close heard an ugly remark and expressed pride in Vinicius. The match featured strong goalkeeping from Thibaut Courtois and Anatoliy Trubin before the breakthrough.
Read at www.aljazeera.com
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