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Benfica hosted Real Madrid in the first leg of the UEFA Champions League knockout round play-offs at the Estadio da Luz in Lisbon. What should have been a night of celebration for Los Blancos turned into a controversy.
The Whites won the match 1-0, thanks to a brilliant curled goal from Vinicius Junior early in the second half. However, the game was overshadowed by a major controversy involving allegations of racist abuse directed at the Brazilian.
Shortly after his goal, an on-pitch confrontation occurred with Benfica's Gianluca Prestianni, who is now accused of racial slur. The midfielder allegedly covered his mouth with his shirt while saying something offensive, with some reports specifying a racial slur like "mono," meaning monkey in English. Amid all this, the question arises whether the Benfica player will feature in the second leg.
Will Benfica's Prestianni play in UCL second leg against Real Madrid?
Prestianni is expected to play in the Champions League second leg against Real Madrid unless UEFA expedites its racism investigation.
Football pundit John Cross described the scenes as "truly shocking and disgraceful". As he talked about the incident, Cross further said:
"Benfica midfielder Gianluca Prestianni is likely to be available for the second leg unless UEFA move much faster than they have in the past.”
Meanwhile, Prestianni and Benfica have denied that any racial abuse occurred, and UEFA's investigation is ongoing as of February 18, 2026.
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