After being loudly booed, Vinícius Júnior danced again. This time in front of Real Madrid supporters while leading his team to the round of 16 of the Champions League, a week after accusing a Benfica opponent of racially insulting him.
The Brazilian scored in the 80th minute to clinch a 2-1 victory for the record 15-time European champions in the second leg of their playoff tie to progress 3-1 on aggregate.
Vinícius celebrated by dancing by the corner flag just like in the first leg — then in front of Benfica fans — which ignited a confrontation with the Portuguese team’s players and the accusation that Gianluca Prestianni called him a racist slur.
“I’m glad Vini dances and keeps dancing, that means he’s scoring goals,” said Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois.
“That’s our Vinícius,” added midfielder Aurélien Tchouaméni, who scored Madrid’s first goal in the 16th, a couple of minutes after Benfica had taken the lead through Rafa Silva.
