Reason for the Suspension of the Real Madrid and Benfica Match

The match between Real Madrid and Benfica was temporarily halted during the ongoing encounter in the first leg of the playoff qualifying for the UEFA Champions League Round of 16, held at the Estádio da Luz.

Vinícius Júnior opened the scoring for Real Madrid in the 50th minute after capitalizing on a pass from his teammate Kylian Mbappé, shooting a powerful ball from inside the penalty area that settled in the net.

After celebrating the goal, the Brazilian star was subjected to racist chants from some Benfica fans, prompting several Portuguese team players to move him away from the touchline in an attempt to contain the situation and prevent tensions from escalating.

The atmosphere on the field became heated as players from both teams engaged in verbal altercations. Benfica player Prestiani then covered his mouth with his shirt and repeated the word ‘monkey, monkey’ in front of Vinícius, who in turn approached the referee to report the incident.

Referee François Letexier decided to stop the match, signaling with his hands to indicate a racist incident, leading to a ten-minute suspension of play amidst efforts to calm the Brazilian player. The referee then issued a warning to Prestiani before the match resumed.