AFP SPORTS
Published February 18,2026
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Vinicius Junior scored the winning goal and was at the centre of a racism storm as Real Madrid beat Benfica 1-0 in the Champions League play-off first leg in Lisbon on Tuesday.
The match was halted for more than 10 minutes early in the second period after Brazilian Vinicius seemed to accuse Benfica’s Argentine midfielder Gianluca Prestianni of calling him “mono” — the Spanish word for monkey — leading to French referee Francois Letexier applying the racism protocol.
ANEWS
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