Vinicius Jr makes pointed celebration after scoring vs Benfica amid alleged racism storm
The Brazilian was allegedly racially abused in the first leg between Real Madrid and Benfica
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Vinicius Jr sealed Real Madrid's passage into the next round of the Champions League with a clinical finish against Benfica on Wednesday night.
The Brazilian forward collected a perfectly weighted pass from Eduardo Camavinga before bursting into the penalty area.
He then calmly slotted the ball into the bottom right corner with his right foot, making it 2-1 on the night.
The goal came after Aurelien Tchouameni had already found the net earlier in the match.

Vinicius Jr went to celebrate exactly how he did in the first leg
|GETTY
The goal killed off any hopes of Benfica staging a comeback, making the score 3-1 on aggregate.
But the 25-year-old clearly had a point to prove as he raced off to celebrate his strike.
Vinicius Jr sprinted straight to the corner flag and launched into his now-famous dance routine.
It was a deliberate callback to his celebration in the first leg at the Estadio de Lux just a week ago.
That particular moment of joy sparked absolute chaos in Lisbon.
Vini Jr. places it past the goalkeeper and Real Madrid lead 3-1 on aggregate 🔥@tntsports & @discoveryplusUK pic.twitter.com/E6H8KcnQTA
— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) February 25, 2026
The Brazilian clearly wasn't about to let the controversy stop him from expressing himself in exactly the same way.
It felt like a pointed statement from a player who has been at the centre of an ugly storm surrounding these two matches.
During that first leg encounter, Benfica supporters hurled abuse and objects at Vinicius Jr from the stands after his celebration.
Gianluca Prestianni hid his face while speaking with Vinicius Jr in Benfica's Champions League defeat to Real Madrid | GETTYThe situation escalated dramatically when Benfica players confronted the winger, leading to the alleged racist incident involving Gianluca Prestianni.
The 20-year-old Argentine was spotted with his shirt pulled over his mouth at the moment Vinicius Jr claimed he had been racially abused.
Prestianni has firmly denied the accusation against him.
However, UEFA handed him a provisional one-match suspension, which meant the youngster was forced to sit out tonight's second leg at the Bernabeu.
Benfica needed to go to Real Madrid and win to progress to the next round of the competition after losing 1-0 at home last week.
And Rafa Silva had put the visitors ahead after some poor defending but their lead lasted less than three minutes.
Tchouameni's sublime strike from the edge of the box levelled the scores on the night and Real the lead again on aggregate.
But, in a match low on quality, Vinicius Jr was always going to have a say on proceedings - making his mark with a brilliant low effort to make sure Real Madrid are through, where they could face Manchester City or Sporting in the next round.










