‘Racists are all cowards’ – Vinicius Junior

The game had promised to be a tempestuous affair, given how Benfica came back to beat Real Madrid 4-2 in the League Phase. They shocked Real Madrid and left a scar in their minds, so the Spanish giants needed revenge at all costs in the first leg of the knockout stage.

Jose Mourinho’s presence also stole much attention because he had three successful seasons as the manager of the Los Blancos.

Benfica started so well by piling on much pressure on Real Madrid until the Spanish side took the lead from the 35th minute, when they started threatening for the first goal. Benfica withstood their challenge and ended the first half goalless.

A magical moment was the only way to decide the game, and Brazilian forward Vinicius conjured one with a beautiful curling effort, which the terrific Trubin had no chance to save to give Real Madrid a deserving lead in the 50th minute.

Benfica’s fans felt disrespected by the way Vini celebrated as he danced in front of them. It led to a mini brawl where the Brazilian raced to French Referee François Letexier that he had been abused by Argentine winger Prestianni. Reports say the 20-year-old called Vincius Mono, which translates to Monkey.

French forward Kylian Mbappe revealed that he heard it on five separate occasions that the Argentine youngster abused Vini.

After the game, Vincius Jnr wrote on social media, daring racists to be bold.

“Racists are above all cowards. They need to put their shirts in their mouths to show how weak they are. But they have by their side the protection of others who, theoretically, have the obligation to punish,” Vinícius wrote.

He added: “I don’t like appearing in situations like this, ­especially after a great victory when the headlines should be about Real Madrid, but it’s necessary.”

UEFA, the governing body of European Football is yet to comment on the issue. Real Madrid won 1-0 in the first leg, with the return leg to be played next Wednesday at the Santiago Bernabeu.

The fight against racism remains one of the biggest problems in European football, with efforts to combat it not enough.