Vinicius Junior Alleges Racist Abuse as Real Madrid Edge Benfica in Fiery UCL Clash

Vinicius Junior scored and then alleged he had been racially abused during Real Madrid's 1-0 win away to Benfica in the first leg of their Champions League play-off tie on Tuesday.

A night of high-stakes Champions League football exploded into controversy in Lisbon as Vinicius Junior scored the decisive goal before alleging racist abuse during Real Madrid’s tense 1-0 victory over Benfica in the first leg of their play-off tie on Tuesday.

The Spanish giants had returned to Lisbon seeking redemption, less than three weeks after a dramatic 4-2 defeat at the same venue - a night when goalkeeper Anatoliy Trubin stunned them with a sensational late goal that forced Madrid into the play-offs.

Goal of Class, Followed by Chaos

Early in the second half, Vinicius lit up the stadium, arrowing a sublime strike into the top corner to silence the home crowd. But his celebratory dance in front of Benfica supporters earned him a booking — a decision that ignited tensions.

Moments later, Benfica’s Gianluca Prestianni pulled his shirt over his mouth and appeared to say something toward the Brazilian forward.

Vinicius immediately approached referee Francois Letexier, pointing at Prestianni and seemingly claiming he had been called "mono", the Spanish word for monkey.

The allegation triggered a lengthy stoppage, with the game paused for several minutes as tensions simmered. When play resumed, Vinicius was relentlessly jeered by sections of the home support.

Benfica coach Jose Mourinho, who had hoped to mastermind victory against his former club, instead cut a furious figure. In the dying stages of an increasingly fractious encounter, Mourinho was sent off for protesting too aggressively while demanding a second yellow card for Vinicius. His dismissal means he will miss the return leg at the Bernabeu.

A staggering 12 minutes of added time followed the disruption, but Benfica failed to find an equaliser, leaving them with a daunting task in Madrid next week.

"(What happened) is something that nobody likes, you have to ask the Benfica player what he said," Real coach Alvaro Arbeloa told broadcaster Movistar.

"(Racism) is something we have to eradicate from the world of football and if the players don't fix it then this is very complicated."

PSG’s Stunning Comeback, Galatasaray Humble Juventus

Elsewhere, reigning European champions Paris Saint-Germain produced a stirring fightback to defeat AS Monaco 3-2 after a nightmare start.

United States forward Folarin Balogun struck inside 55 seconds and doubled Monaco’s lead within 18 minutes, leaving PSG reeling.

A missed penalty by Vitinha and an injury to Ballon d'Or winner Ousmane Dembele compounded PSG’s misery — until Desire Doue transformed the contest.

Doue pulled one back within two minutes of coming on, then teed up Achraf Hakimi for the equaliser before halftime. Monaco’s hopes dimmed further when Aleksandr Golovin was sent off early in the second half, and Doue sealed the comeback with a decisive 67th-minute strike.

"He is an incredible player and a different player. I am very pleased for him because he deserved it," PSG coach Luis Enrique told broadcaster Canal Plus of Doue.

In Istanbul, Galatasaray delivered one of the shocks of the round, dismantling Juventus 5-2 in a pulsating showdown.

After Gabriel Sara opened the scoring, Juventus fought back through a brace from Teun Koopmeiners. But Galatasaray roared back in the second half as Noa Lang netted twice, Davinson Sanchez restored the lead, and substitute Sacha Boey sealed a famous victory. Juventus’ woes deepened when Juan Cabal was sent off.

Meanwhile, 2024 beaten finalists Borussia Dortmund strengthened their push toward the next round with a composed 2-0 win over Atalanta.

Prolific striker Serhou Guirassy opened the scoring with his 16th goal of the season before Maximilian Beier added a second just before the break.