Real Madrid left winger Vinicius Junior is writing a new chapter in the history of the Champions League with every goal and assist, and his late goal in the 80th minute against Benfica to seal the tie on a 3-1 aggregate for the Royal Whites at home had to feel especially good.
Benfica attacker Gianluca Prestianni was suspended for covering his mouth and racially abusing Vinicius Junior after his amazing goal to break the deadlock (and eventually decide the game) in the first leg.
The Portuguese giants tried to appeal Prestianni’s ban, but it did not get overturned. And while Benfica did score the first goal at the Santiago Bernabeu early on, Real Madrid retook the advantage in the tie 2-1 just minutes later via defensive midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni.
But Vinicius’s moment would come late in the second half. Fede Valverde, who came into the game hobbled by injury, won the ball in midfield, as is customary, and quickly and smartly found his Brazilian superstar on the break.
Vinicius Junior caught the ball in stride, steadied himself in the penalty area, and buried the chance into the bottom right-hand corner to give Real Madrid a 2-1 lead and 3-1 lead in the tie that they would not relinquish.
It was a brilliant, composed finish by Vinicius Jr., who then celebrated in the only way he possibly could – by dancing in front of the Santiago Bernabeu faithful and emphatically making a statement to all the racists around the world that they can shut up. Beautiful.
Joe Soriano is the editor of The Trivela Effect and a FanSided Hall of Famer who has covered world football since 2010. He’s led top digital communities like The Real Champs (Real Madrid) and has run sites covering Tottenham, Liverpool, Juventus, and Schalke. He also helped manage NFL Spin Zone and Daily DDT, covering the NFL and pro wrestling.