On the evening of 17/2 at Da Luz stadium, French referee Francois Letexier showed yellow cards to Real's Vinicius and Kylian Mbappe, as well as Benfica's Gianluca Prestianni and Heorhiy Sudakov. Letexier also issued a red card to Benfica coach Jose Mourinho for protesting a decision.

"I was sent off for stating something very obvious," Mourinho said after the match. "The referee had a piece of paper indicating that Tchouameni, Huijsen, and Carreras – three Real players – were exempt from yellow cards."

Mourinho received a red card for protesting the referee in the 85th minute of Benfica's 0-1 loss to Real, during the Champions League playoff first leg on the evening of 17/2. *Photo: AP*.

Mourinho, known as "the Special One", acknowledged the difficulties stemming from the red card: a touchline ban for the return leg, no access to the changing room, and inability to speak with players. However, he expressed confidence in his assistants to manage effectively.

Vinicius scored the only goal of the first leg with a superb strike in the 50th minute. The Brazilian forward received the ball on the left wing, cut past a defender, and curled a shot from 18 meters into the top corner.

Mourinho acknowledged Real deserved the victory, stating that only Vinicius or Mbappe could score such goals against Benfica. He also suggested the Brazilian forward deserved to be carried on his teammates' shoulders.

After celebrating his goal, Vinicius reported to the referee that Prestianni had called him a "monkey." The referee halted the match to investigate the alleged racist behavior. However, lip-reading proved impossible as Prestianni had covered his mouth while speaking. A scuffle then erupted between the two benches, leading to one of Mourinho's assistants receiving a red card.

When asked if Prestianni regretted the alleged racist behavior, Mourinho responded, "Regret what? I spoke to both players. Vinicius told me one thing, but Prestianni told me another. After scoring a goal like that, Vinicius should be celebrated by his teammates, not made a spectacle in front of 60,000 spectators in this stadium."

The playoff first leg took place just three weeks after Benfica defeated Real 4-2 in their final group stage match. This time, Real not only exacted revenge but also secured a significant advantage on their path to the round of 1/8. The return leg will be held at Bernabeu stadium on 25/2.

Thanh Quy (via *Marca*)