It wasn't his stunning goal in the 36th minute that elicited this response, nor Kevin de Bruyne's equally marvellous leveller in the 67th minute of the game. It takes a lot, and I repeat, *a lot* to make every single one of the 81,044 packed into the stands to audibly gasp in amazement. Real Madrid are European royalty, and their supporters have seen the very best footballers, day in, day out. The crowd at the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu are a demanding lot - and that's an understatement. This time around, we pick Vinicius Jr's audacious attempt at a rainbow flick against Kyle Walker. Real Madrid and Manchester City shared the spoils at the Bernabeu in a thrilling contest, while Inter Milan lit up the Derby della Madonnina to defeat city rivals AC Milan in the other semifinal.īoth games provided plenty of goals, action and brilliant moments, but ESPN India picks out the one standout moment that defined the UCL's midweek action. With the UEFA Champions League nearing its climax, the first leg of the semifinals provided plenty of quality for the footballing world to admire. Vinicius Jr's rainbow flick vs Kyle Walker defiant defense: Moment of the mid-week
VINICIUS JR RAINBOW FLICK UPGRADE
There was a long way to go but it felt as good as over until a late Mario Hermoso goal set up an unexpectedly tense finish that ended with Hermoso being sent off in stoppage time.You have reached a degraded version of because you're using an unsupported version of Internet Explorer.įor a complete experience, please upgrade or use a supported browser
He ran into the area and hit the post, the ball running loose for Valverde, steaming in, to finish. They hadn’t finished yet: a sharp one-two between Luka Modric and Vinícius sent the Brazilian racing away. He celebrated by dancing at the south end of the ground, joined by teammates. Griezmann, surprisingly included as a starter despite Atlético’s attempts to avoid triggering an obligatory purchase clause from Barcelona by not playing him, saw a shot saved by Thibaut Courtois.īut then Rodrygo scored a wonderful opening goal, turning a clever volley into the net. Felipe had one header on to the roof of the net, Yannick Carrasco hit the side of it, and João Felix had a shot blocked.
Atlético flew out of the blocks but Real Madrid rode that initial storm. “We haven’t talked about racism in the dressing room because the player has responded well in his statement and that’s it.” Neymar tweeted: “Dance, Vini” and the next day asked: “Am I the only one who woke up wanting Vinícius to score tomorrow?” “A lot has been said about provocation racism is another subject which is much more important,” he said. In his pre-match press conference, more than half of the questions directed at Carlo Ancelotti were about Vinícius. Real Madrid released a statement in defence of their player and against racism. Accept it, respect me, I’m not going to stop,” he said. Weeks ago now, they started to criminalise me for dancing.” Dance, he said, is not just his, but belongs to many players, including Atlético’s Antoine Griezmann, to funk and samba artists, to reggaeton and black Americans, and “celebrate the cultural diversity of the world – and he wasn’t going to stop. “Well, the happiness of a victorious black Brazilian in Europe, much more so. “They say that happiness annoys people,” he said. Vinícius gave a statement on the eve of the match. įederico Valverde celebrates after scoring Real Madrid’s second goal. Koke responded by saying there would be a “ lio for sure”. Atlético captain Koke was subsequently asked about the likely reaction should the Brazilian score and celebrate the goal by dancing. He subsequently apologised, saying that he used the phrase “figuratively”.Īs the clip went viral, so the support for Vinícius rolled in: from Neymar, Dani Alves, and even Pelé.
VINICIUS JR RAINBOW FLICK TV
Football agent Pedro Bravo, a guest on a Spanish TV show Chiringuito, where hammed-up arguments are a staple, referred to Vinícius “monkeying around”, and invited him to leave the dancing to the “Sambadrome”. The Mallorca manger Javier Aguirre had spoken to him during the game but afterwards said that it was unimportant and congratulated Madrid on the victory.ĭespite that attempt to downplay it, a debate was stirred up about him which seemed to overtake the entire buildup to this game, becoming unavoidable in the media. When he scored he had danced, as he often does. Last Sunday there had been a confrontation between Vinícius and some Mallorca players who considered him to be showboating. What had initially been an almost entirely fabricated debate about his style and his habit of celebrating goals by dancing had built up all week and eventually, and with depressing inevitability, ended in this episode of racism at the stadium.
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