In a tense first leg of the UEFA Champions League playoff, Real Madrid secured a narrow 1-0 victory over Benfica, but the match was overshadowed by an incident of alleged racist abuse directed at Vinícius Júnior. After scoring the only goal, Vinícius celebrated by dancing in the corner of the Estádio da Luz, which led to a confrontation with Benfica's Gianluca Prestianni. Vinícius reported the incident to referee François Letexier, resulting in a 10-minute pause in the match as he and his teammates considered walking off the pitch. Letexier activated the anti-racism protocol, highlighting the seriousness of the situation and the players' readiness to leave the pitch, as reported by The Guardian.