Vinicius Jr seals 1-0 win as racism allegation mars Benfica tie

Vinicius Jr scored the only goal as Real Madrid beat Benfica 1-0 in the first leg of their Champions League knockout play-off. His second-half curled strike put Madrid ahead, but the match was overshadowed when Vinicius indicated that Gianluca Prestianni had made a racist remark; he sat on the bench and refused to play for a period.

After a 10-minute delay play resumed and Madrid held on to the lead, with Benfica boss Jose Mourinho also sent off. Benfica had their chances early and peppered Madrid’s goal, but Thibaut Courtois made a series of important saves to keep the hosts out. Trent Alexander-Arnold supplied some lovely crosses and was Madrid’s main threat in the first half, while Kylian Mbappe came close before half-time when he rattled the bar from close range.

Vinicius changed the game in the second period, cutting inside before unleashing a fine effort into the top corner and continually troubling Benfica down the left.

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