Real Madrid's Victory Over Benfica: A Triumph Against Racism
KOMPAS.com - Aurelien Tchouameni stated that Real Madrid’s victory over Benfica in the Champions League was no different than a success against racism.
Real Madrid recently won the second leg of their Champions League play-off match against Benfica with a score of 2-1 at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium on Thursday (26/2/2026) early WIB.
After conceding first from Benfica through Rafa Silva in the 14th minute, Real Madrid immediately responded through Aurelien Tchouameni in the 16th minute and completed by Vinicius Junior in the 80th minute.
Vinicius Junior, the goalscorer for Real Madrid, was the focus of this match after the incident of racial abuse he experienced in the first leg.
The perpetrator was Benfica player, Gianluca Prestianni, who then received a temporary sanction from UEFA which made him absent in the second leg match against Real Madrid with a thorough investigation following.
“This suspension is without prejudice to any decision that may be made by the UEFA disciplinary body after the conclusion of the ongoing investigation and its submission to the UEFA disciplinary body.”
On the other hand, Vinicius Junior’s success also deserves praise, given that his performance helped Real Madrid qualify for the Champions League round of 16.
The young Brazilian national team star seemed unfazed by the recent events.
A comment then came from Vinicius’ teammate at Real Madrid, namely Aurelien Tchouameni after the Champions League play-off match between Real Madrid and Benfica.
“Vinicius remains confident and remains focused on what he needs to do. This is a victory for everyone who opposes racism,” said Tchouameni.
The case of racial abuse against Vinicius Junior has attracted many parties to comment.
One of them occurred when Benfica coach, Jose Mourinho, criticized Vinicius’ celebration which was considered excessive and then triggered Prestianni to utter racist remarks.
However, many former world football stars, such as Clarence Seedorf and Wayne Rooney, spoke out.