“Real Madrid show support for Vinicius Junior amidst racist abuse with 2-1 win against Rayo Vallecano”

The striker was greeted before kick-off after he was subjected to racist abuse in a 1-0 defeat by Valencia on Sunday.

A banner behind one of the two goals at the Santiago Bernabeu reads, “We are all Vinicius, enough is enough,” along with other messages of support for the young striker.

Real Madrid players took to the field wearing shirts bearing the number 20 of the Brazilian player, and the captains of the two teams wore armbands bearing anti-racism phrases.

The player, dressed in non-sporting clothing, joined his teammates on the pitch where he received a standing ovation from the fans after all the players took a picture next to an official La Liga sign that read “There is no place for racists in football”.

The player was not part of the Real squad for the match, despite the cancellation of the red card he received against Valencia and the penalty imposed as a result.

And Spanish media reported that Vinicius missed training before the confrontation due to a knee problem and watched the match from the stands alongside Real Madrid President Florentino Perez.

Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti said, “I was surprised by the decision of the Competitions Committee (of the Spanish Football Federation). I think it was the right decision.”

He added that penalizing Valencia by partially closing his stadium is an important step forward, noting that he hopes “this issue will be resolved soon. The players surrounding Vinicius are very affected.”

Karim Benzema scored the first goal after half an hour from close range, taking advantage of a pass from Federico Valverde from the edge of the penalty area.

Raul de Tomas equalized for Rayo with six minutes remaining.

Rodrygo scored the winning goal in the 89th minute with a low shot from outside the penalty area.

Two games before the end of the season, Real rose to second place with 74 points, two points behind third-placed Atletico Madrid, who will visit Espanyol later today, and 11 points behind Barcelona, ​​who clinched the title.