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By Seyi Babalola
Real Madrid’s win against Benfica to reach the Champions League last 16 was a “victory for everyone who stands against racism”, midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni says.
It should be recalled that Vinicius Jr. claimed he was racially harassed by Benfica’s Gianluca Prestianni during the first leg, in which the Real Madrid forward scored the only goal.
Prestianni, who has denied racially insulting the Brazilian, was then given a one-match suspension, which meant he would miss Wednesday’s return leg.
The home fans showed their support for Vinicius by displaying a banner in the bleachers before kickoff that read “no to racism” in Spanish.
Vinicius was again on the scoresheet, netting Real Madrid’s second goal as the Spanish side came from 1-0 down on the night to win 2-1 and book their place in the next round with a 3-1 aggregate victory.
“I think there are more important things than this match, than football,” said Tchouameni, who scored Real’s first-half equaliser.
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“Vinicius keeps his confidence and he keeps focused on what he needs to do.
“I think they made the right decision by not letting the boy [Prestianni] play this match.
“Like I said, there are things more important than football and this is a victory for all of us.”
Real Madrid and England defender Trent Alexander-Arnold said Vinicius had been his usual self before the fixture, “very chilled” and “very relaxed”.
“He didn’t need to score to send a message or show his mentality,” said the former Liverpool player.
“He doesn’t need to prove anything to anyone because he’s shown time and time again how good he is.
“He steps up when we need him the most. He knows his quality and what he brings to the team.”
