Courtois Celebrates the Dance of Vinicius Jr after Real Madrid overcame Benfica in Champions League.
Vinicius Jr repelled his critics in the strongest manner ever, on Wednesday night, with an object as well as a dance.
Real Madrid won the match against Benfica 2-1 in Santiago Bernabéu to secure a 3-1 aggregate victory and qualify to the Round of 16 of the Champions League.
With only 80 minutes left to play, Vinicius got the crucial second goal, and the goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois made it very clear how the whole club appreciated it.
Vinicius Scores and Dances Again.
All week the Brazilian forward had been the centre of a storm. At the first leg of the game in Lisbon, he accused Benfica winger Gianluca Prestianni of racially abusing him right after he had scored and danced by the corner flag in his trademark pose.
Prestianni denied the claim. But UEFA initiated a complete inquiry and suspended him provisionally, one match, excluding him from the second match at the Bernabeku.
All this commotion made Vinicius come forward at the time when it was most needed. He took his own time to complete past the goalkeeper Anatoliy Trubin after a through ball by Federico Valverde that was perfectly timed. Then away to the corner flag he ran, and danced – again. Same move. Same confidence.
Courtois Reacts: I Am Very Happy When Vini Dances.
There was great joy among the Belgian goalkeeper at the end of the whistle. Courtois did not hesitate to express his sentiments, which were eloquently and positively, post-match.
I am very happy when Vini dances, as it means he is getting the goals.
It was a bare but strong message. Real Madrid win when Vinicius dances. That is what matters.
Courtois also introduced a certain humour, and he admitted the distance between the posts and the corner flag:
I never miss his celebrations even when he is far away, because at times I am all alone at the back.
Something actual was in the words the keeper said. This was not a goal that Vinicius was taking. He was making a statement.
Courtois Had Defended all the Week Vinicius.
Prior to the second leg, Courtois was one of the most vocal people to have come to the defense of his teammate. When he was called to speak at the press on Tuesday, as Sky Sports and Yahoo Sports reported, he did not spare a word.
He made a scowl on the recommendations, even by Benfica coach Jose Mourinho, that Vinicius had instigated the alleged abuse by his style of celebration.
There is no way that we can excuse a suspected racist act of racism due to a celebration. We must not be so dumb as a society, I think,” Yahoo Sports Courtois said solemnly.
He even confronted the version about the remarks of Mourinho. What I dislike is to use the celebration of Vinicius. Vinicius was not in the wrong, he partied just like any other player would against us.
Whenever you score against Real Madrid, it is twice or even thrice to most clubs, The Football Faithful the goalkeeper added.
That is an effective and definite stand. Courtois did not want the scandal to dwarf what he perceived to be a simple matter, namely, racially perceived issues should be confronted, end of the day.
How the Match Unfolded
At the night, Real Madrid was ahead 1-0 on aggregate. Benfica was required to find two goals without responding to compel extra time.
Visitors were provided with the hope by Rafa Silva in the period of 14th minute and he turned in a rebound after Courtois spilled a cross. This objective placed Real in an early test.
However, Aurélien Tchouamameni came almost even, with the first attack, hitting the first time after a Valverde layoff in the 16th minute, to recover the overall advantage.
It remained close through to the 80th minute. Then Valverde re-cut the Benfica defence and Vinicius did the rest. The game — and the tie — was over.
Final Score: Real Madrid 2-1 Benfica (Real Madrid win 3-1 on aggregate)
| Real Madrid | Benfica | |
|---|---|---|
| Goals | Tchouaméni (16′), Vinicius (80′) | Rafa Silva (14′) |
| Aggregate | 3 | 1 |
| Result | Advanced to Round of 16 | Eliminated |
What Happens Next
The Prestianni investigation by UEFA is still in progress. Additional discipline might be issued after complete investigation by an ethics and disciplinary inspector with possible penalty of 10 game suspension.
Mourinho, who also missed the second leg of the match by being suspended to the touchline after being sent off at Lisbon, has been questioned over his remarks posted publicly on Vinicius.
Real Madrid, on the contrary, assert. They are already in the last 16 of the champions league and their most talented player is dancing and scoring goals. It is a hard combination to pull up.
