Vinicius earns Real Madrid 1-0 win at Benfica in match marred by racism row

Al JazeeraCenterEN 5 min read 100% complete by By News AgenciesFebruary 18, 2026 at 12:01 AM

AI Summary

long article 5 min

Real Madrid defeated Benfica 1-0 in their Champions League playoff first leg on February 17, 2026, at the Estadio da Luz. Vinicius Junior scored the winning goal in the second half. The match was temporarily halted for 11 minutes after Vinicius accused Benfica's Gianluca Prestianni of a racial slur. The alleged incident occurred after Vinicius's goal, with Vinicius claiming Prestianni called him a "monkey." While television cameras did not capture the slur, Real Madrid players corroborated Vinicius's account. Prior to the goal, Benfica started strong, but Real Madrid gained control, with both goalkeepers making key saves.

Key Entities & Roles

Key Player Opposition Context

Francois Letexier 30% Fredrik Aursnes 30% Arda Guler 30% Kylian Mbappe ×230% Anatoliy Trubin 30% Thibaut Courtois 40% Estadio da Luz 40% Federico Valverde 50% Gianluca Prestianni ×370% Benfica ×470% Real Madrid ×380% Vinicius Jr ×690%

Keywords

racism 100% racial slur 90% vinicius jr 80% champions league 70% football 70% benfica 60% real madrid 60% gianluca prestianni 50% antiracism protocol 50%

Sentiment Analysis

Negative

Score: -0.30

Source Transparency

Source

Al Jazeera

Political Lean

Center (0.00)

Far LeftCenterFar Right

Classification Confidence

90%

This article was automatically classified using rule-based analysis. The political bias score ranges from -1 (far left) to +1 (far right).

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racism racial slur vinicius jr champions league football benfica real madrid gianluca prestianni antiracism protocol

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