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The Champions League playoffs were overshadowed by claims of racism towards Real Madrid subordinate Vinicius Junior successful aggravated scenes aft the Brazilian scored a superb winning extremity against Benfica connected Tuesday (February 17, 2026).
Play was halted erstwhile Vinicius claimed helium had been racially insulted by an hostile during Madrid's 1-0 win.
“He's been subjected to this a fewer times passim his vocation and he's handled it excellently. But for it to transportation connected and for it to hap tonight, it's a disgrace to football,” Madrid defender Trent Alexander-Arnold told Amazon.
Paris Saint-Germain's rubric defence looked to beryllium unraveling erstwhile 2-0 down successful Monaco until Desire Doue came disconnected the seat to animate a 3-2 win.
Galatasaray bushed Juventus 5-2 and Borussia Dortmund won 2-0 against Atalanta.
Claims of racism successful Benfica-Madrid clash
Vinicius had conscionable whipped a fantastic extremity into the apical country to springiness grounds 15-time champion Madrid the pb successful the archetypal limb of its playoff with Benfica astatine the Stadium of Light, He and his teammates celebrated wildly, with the guardant dancing successful the corner.
What followed were disfigured scenes that led to Vinicius informing referee Francois Letexier that a racist remark had been made. He appeared to constituent astatine Argentine subordinate Gianluca Prestianni erstwhile complaining to the official, who crossed his arms to awesome soccer's anti racism protocol.
Prestianni had earlier approached Vinicius portion covering his rima with his jersey.
Benfica manager Jose Mourinho, who besides spoke to Vinicius, said his subordinate denied the accusation of racism.
“They told maine antithetic things,” helium said, adding that helium wanted to beryllium independent.
But successful notation to erstwhile occasions erstwhile Vinicius has been subjected to racist taunts, Mourinho said: “But determination is thing incorrect due to the fact that it happens successful each stadium. ... The stadium wherever Vinicius played thing happened. Always.” Vinicius sat unsocial successful the dugout earlier play resumed without immoderate players being sent disconnected arsenic a effect of his claims.
PSG survives scare
The defending champion is making hard enactment of its rubric defense.
Failure to beforehand straight to the circular of 16 aft the league signifier of the contention near Luis Enrique's squad having to negociate an all-French playoff against Monaco. And contempt PSG's dominance of the French league, it recovered itself 2-0 down aft 18 minutes astatine Stade Louis-II.
United States guardant Folarin Balogun headed Monaco successful beforehand wrong a infinitesimal and past doubled the location team's lead.
After Vitinha failed to people from the punishment spot Luis Enrique sent for Doue successful the 27th.
Within 2 minutes he'd pulled a extremity backmost and erstwhile different of his efforts were saved soon earlier halftime, Achraf Hakimi followed up with an equalizer.
Monaco was down to 10 men aboriginal successful the 2nd fractional erstwhile Aleksandr Golovin was sent disconnected and Doue struck the victor with different objective decorativeness successful the 67th.
“The mode I played was not the astir important (thing). The astir important happening is the win. We did the job, truthful we are precise happy. It is my occupation to assistance the team,” Doue said.
Bad nighttime for Italian teams
Galatasaray pushed Juventus to the brink of elimination successful a chaotic comeback triumph successful Istanbul.
Trailing 2-1 astatine halftime successful the playoff lucifer astatine RAMS Park, the Turkish elephantine powered backmost aft the break. Noa Lang scored 2 of Galatasaray's 4 second-half goals to stun two-time European champion Juve.
Galatasaray takes a three-goal pb into the 2nd limb successful Turin adjacent week with the accidental to beforehand to the circular of 16 for the archetypal clip since 2014.
Juventus responded good to going a extremity down done Gabriel Sara aft 15 minutes, with Teun Koopmeiners equalizing a infinitesimal aboriginal and adding different earlier halftime.
But Galatasaray took power successful the 2nd fractional half. Lang leveled 4 minutes aft the restart, scoring from adjacent range.
Davinson Sanchez gave the location squad the pb connected the hr and Juventus' situation was made each the much hard erstwhile Juan Cabal was sent disconnected 22 minutes aft coming connected arsenic a halftime substitute.
Lang got his 2nd erstwhile capitalizing connected sloppy play from Juventus' defence successful its ain container and Sacha Boey drove successful from the space successful the 86th.
Dortmund is successful power against Atalanta aft goals from Serhou Guirassy and Maximilian Beier gave the Germans a 2-0 pb heading into adjacent week's 2nd limb successful Italy.
