Vinícius, without playing, was the protagonist of Real Madrid-Rayo, amnestied by the Competition Committee but out of the lineup due to knee problems. It couldn't be any other way at the Bernabéu, which went overboard with its player despite the fact that the stadium had only a little more than half an innings, one of the poorest of the season, which tarnished everything a little . Vinícius enjoyed an honor that no other active player has known. He watched the game set in the managers' box, alongside Florentino Pérez, the club's president.
After all, there was a football match and Madrid beat Rayo in a very boring match. Benzema scored in the first half, an action similar to the lame goal. Rayo equalized in the 84th through Raúl de Tomás, but their joy was short-lived as Rodrygo made the decision in the 89th. He scored, made a heart for Vinícius and raised his fist, in style of the black There wasn't much else in a relegated match because neither team was playing for anything and if there are no goals at stake football is something else. more boring
The party for Vinícius began when the youth stand unfurled a banner with the motto Vinícius somos todos from the south end. Enough already. Then the Madrid squad jumped onto the grass, with Vinícius included, without sports clothes, and they all stood on their backs so that it could be seen that they were wearing number 20, that of the Brazilian.
Previously, the footballers of the two teams had shown themselves with the message Racistas fuera del fútbol, the motto of a campaign organized by four parties between the Spanish Federation, LaLiga, the CSD and the AFE, the footballers' union. The captains of both teams and the referees also wore armbands with the message Unidos contra el racismo.
The atmosphere was very festive in the stands, populated here and there with homemade banners, all obviously with messages against racism and in support of the Brazilian player.
The last of the more or less officially scheduled events was the massive applause for Vinícius in the 20th minute of the match. It started timidly and ended up being resounding, unanimous.
Kroos and Modric started again and the novelty was to see Rüdiger on the left side, with Alaba and Nacho in central positions. Benzema, Rodrygo and Valverde played above. Madrid's goal came in the 31st minute and was protested by Rayo. There was a neutral bot because Isi was on the floor. Madrid activated him early and got the ball to Benzema, who appeared to be limping but still had enough to dribble past Dmitrevski and score.
The second half started with a wasted opportunity by Carvajal and then came the carousel of changes. Ceballos, Asensio and Tchouaméni came on, and Iraloa brought on Raúl de Tomas and Radamel Falcao looking for more attacking power. In the 84th Raúl de Tomás hunted for an equaliser, but Rodrygo joined the party in the 89th and Madrid secured the three points, although it was not an evening when it mattered much.
