Vinícius Júnior netted a stunning second-half winner as Real Madrid beat Benfica in the first leg of their Champions League play-off — a match briefly suspended for 10 minutes amid allegations of racist abuse.
The Brazilian forward broke the deadlock five minutes after the restart, curling a superb effort beyond goalkeeper Anatoliy Trubin at the Estádio da Luz.
After celebrating passionately and receiving a booking, Vinícius became involved in a tense exchange with Benfica’s Gianluca Prestianni. He approached referee François Letexier while gesturing toward the winger, before briefly leaving the pitch alongside several team-mates. Play eventually resumed after a 10-minute delay.
Benfica boss José Mourinho was dismissed late on after picking up two yellow cards, ruling him out of the return leg at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium next Wednesday.
Twelve minutes of stoppage time were added following the interruption, and during that period an object thrown from the stands struck Vinícius as he prepared to take a corner.
Before his decisive goal, Vinícius had fired narrowly wide after a precise pass from Trent Alexander-Arnold found Federico Valverde. At the other end, Thibaut Courtois denied Fredrik Aursnes with a sharp save as both teams pushed for the opener.
Kylian Mbappé went close before the break, just failing to connect with another Alexander-Arnold delivery. He later fired over after clever play from Vinícius and was twice thwarted by Trubin, who also kept out Arda Güler as Benfica survived until half-time.
Following Vinícius’ brilliant strike, the hosts rarely troubled Courtois, with Madrid sealing an impressive away victory — though the night was marred by the racism allegations surrounding the winning goal.
The encounter came just 19 days after their dramatic league-phase meeting in Lisbon, when Trubin’s 89th-minute header secured Benfica’s play-off qualification on goal difference.
Benfica now face a tough task in Madrid on Wednesday, 25 February (20:00 GMT), as they attempt to overturn the deficit.
