In a tense atmosphere, veteran Jose Mourinho was unable to lead Portuguese team Benfica to victory over Spanish guests Real Madrid. The first leg of the Champions League Round of 16 qualifier, played at Lisbon’s Luz Stadium, ended with Real Madrid scoring a goal from Brazilian Vinicius Junior, but he refused to continue and forced the referee at the time to continue the match, citing “racist” language. The match was stopped for 10 minutes after Argentina’s Gianluca said something. Benfica player Pristiani made a racist comment towards Vinicius, who complained to the referee, who decided to stop the match.
After the restart, Real Madrid maintained their lead and increased their chances of qualifying for next Wednesday’s second leg at the Santiago Bernabéu stadium in the Spanish capital, and were subject to a 4-2 defeat against Benfica at the same stadium on January 28 last year, which deprived them of direct qualification to the round of 16 at the end of the Champions League league stage.
In a tense atmosphere, veteran Jose Mourinho was unable to lead Portuguese team Benfica to victory against Spanish guests Real Madrid in a match played at Lisbon’s Estadio da Luz as part of the first leg of the play-off qualification for the round of 16 of the UEFA Champions League, which ended with a goal from Brazilian Vinicius Junior. Benfica’s Argentine player Gianluca Prestianni made a racist comment towards Vinicius, and the referee at the time was forced to stop the match for 10 minutes, which he reported to the referee, who then decided to stop the match.
After the restart, Real Madrid maintained their lead and increased their chances of qualifying before the return match scheduled for next Wednesday at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium in the Spanish capital, while the Royal team lost 4-2 to Benfica at the same venue on January 28, avenging their failure to qualify directly for the Round of 16 after the group stage of the Champions League.
