MADRID (AP) — Vinicius Junior will face Gianluca Prestianni again in a league match. champions leaguejust a week after a Benfica player accused him of being racially insulted.
Real Madrid and Benfica will face each other in the second round of the Champions League on Wednesday. Madrid won their first match in Lisbon last Tuesday, with Vinicius scoring the winning goal in the second half. 1-0 victory.
After the Brazilian forward scored and was celebrated at Benfica’s corner flag, the match was stopped for nearly 10 minutes, leaving local fans and players upset. After confronting Prestiani, Vinicius accused the Argentine player of calling him a “monkey”. Prestiani is denied racial insults Vinicius.
Anti-racism protocols were activated, but no further action was taken during the match as there was no evidence against Prestiani, who covered his mouth with his shirt while talking to Vinicius. The Madrid forward was shown a yellow card after celebrating.
UEFA has launched an investigation into what happened, but as of Monday no ruling had been made, meaning both players will be available for Wednesday’s return match at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium.
Vinicius scores Madrid’s goal The team lost 2-1 against Osasuna on Saturday. Prestiani did not play in Benfica’s 3-0 win over AVS on Saturday due to suspension due to a yellow card.
Benfica’s coach Jose Mourinho will be absent on Wednesday after being sent off at the end of the first leg for complaining to the referee. The former Madrid manager criticized Vinicius for celebrating his goal with the Benfica flag.
Amazing Board/Glimt
On Tuesday, underdog Norwegian club Bodø/Glimt will look to continue their incredible run by taking a two-goal advantage into the second leg against Inter Milan.
Following the first leg victory Consecutive wins against Manchester City and Atletico Madrid At the league stage.
Inter, last year’s Champions League runners-up, are hoping to prove that the loss to Norway was a fluke as they overcame a poor start and now have seven wins from eight games in all competitions.
Inter defender Manuel Akanji said: “Sometimes in big games you’re at your best and sometimes you’re not.” “But there are not two different versions of Inter. Yes, we lost to Bodø/Glimt in the last Champions League, but we are still the same team that can achieve great things.”
juve crisis
Another Italian club in need of a comeback will be Juventus, who host Galatasaray on Wednesday after losing the first leg 5-2 in Turkey.
However, Juventus are struggling and are starting to lose their form. Lost 2-0 at home to Como Their hopes of qualifying for next season’s Champions League have been damaged. Juventus has lost three consecutive games in all competitions, making it five consecutive games without a win.
Featured PSG
Both are defending European champions. Paris Saint-Germain and Monaco They won the French league this weekend ahead of Wednesday’s second leg in Paris. Monaco won 3-2 against Reims, while PSG regained top spot in the French league with a 3-0 win over Metz.
PSG came back from two points behind to win the first leg 3-2 against Monaco. Desiree Douai, who scored twice against Monaco, also found the back of the net in the win over Metz.
Atletico Madrid make a comeback
Atlético lost a two-goal lead in the first leg at Club Brugge and conceded late on in a 3-3 draw, making it their second winless match in all competitions.
Diego Simeone’s side bounced back by defeating Espanyol 4-2 in the Spanish league on Saturday ahead of their return match on Tuesday. Ademola Lookman scored again, scoring his fourth goal in six games since signing for Atlético.
“It’s always important to win before an important game like Tuesday,” said Simeone.
Other matches
Also on Tuesday, Newcastle host Qarabag in the first leg and take control with a 6-1 win, while Bayer Leverkusen take home a 2-0 lead with victory over Olympiakos. Borussia Dortmund also won the first leg 2-0 against Atalanta ahead of their return match in Italy.
___
AP Soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
