Vinícius Júnior scored a stunning solo goal before becoming the centre of a storm as Real Madrid CF beat SL Benfica 1-0 in a tense Champions League play-off first leg in Lisbon.

‎On a night that mixed brilliance with controversy, the Brazilian’s moment of magic proved decisive, but events that followed his celebration cast a shadow over the contest.

‎Madrid arrived in the Portuguese capital determined to erase memories of a 4-2 defeat to Benfica in the League Phase just 20 days earlier. They began with urgency and should have been ahead by half-time, with both Kylian Mbappé and Vinícius missing clear openings.

‎The breakthrough came five minutes after the restart. Collecting the ball wide on the left, Vinícius danced past defenders before unleashing a sublime finish beyond the goalkeeper, a goal worthy of settling any European tie.

‎Instead, it sparked chaos.

‎Following his celebrations, Vinícius appeared to react to alleged comments directed at him from sections of the crowd. In a striking image, the forward briefly sat in the dugout in protest as the referee was understood to have activated UEFA’s anti-racism protocol. The match was halted for nearly 10 minutes amid confusion inside the stadium.

‎UEFA has strict procedures in place to deal with discriminatory behaviour, and it remains unclear what further action, if any, may follow.

‎Tempers continued to fray as the game resumed. Benfica manager José Mourinho was sent off late on after angrily confronting the officials, capping a fractious evening.

‎Despite the turmoil, Madrid held firm to take a slender advantage back to Spain. The sides meet again at the Santiago Bernabéu on 25 February, with the 14-time European champions now firmly in control of the tie.

‎For Madrid, it was a victory forged in both flair and resilience. For Vinícius, it was another reminder that even on football’s grandest stage, brilliance can often be accompanied by darker undertones.