Vinícius Júnior accused a Benfica player of racially abusing him during Real Madrid’s 1-0 Champions League victory on Tuesday, prompting referee François Letexier to halt the match for nearly 10 minutes at Lisbon’s Stadium of Light.

The incident occurred in the 52nd minute, shortly after Vinícius curled a shot into the top corner to give Real Madrid the lead over Benfica. As the Brazilian forward celebrated near the corner flag, sections of the home crowd reacted angrily, throwing bottles and other objects toward Madrid players.

Benfica’s Gianluca Prestianni approached Vinícius and appeared to speak to him while covering his mouth with his jersey. Moments later, Vinícius pointed toward the Argentine winger and ran to Letexier, telling the referee that Prestianni had called him “monkey,” according to television footage.

Letexier immediately activated UEFA’s anti-racism protocol, crossing his arms above his head and suspending play. Vinícius left the field and sat in the dugout as teammates gathered nearby. For several minutes, the match remained stopped amid tense scenes.

After the game, Vinícius posted on Instagram, condemning racism and suggesting he had been penalized unfairly. “Racists are, above all, cowards,” he wrote. “Nothing that happened today is new to me in my life and in my family’s life.” He added that he had been shown a yellow card for celebrating his goal and questioned the decision.

Prestianni denied using racist language in a separate Instagram post. “At no time did I direct racist insults to Vini Jr,” he wrote, adding that he regretted threats he said he had received from Madrid players.

Madrid defender Trent Alexander-Arnold described the episode as “a disgrace to football,” saying it overshadowed the team’s performance. Forward Kylian Mbappé and midfielder Aurélien Tchouaméni said the squad briefly considered leaving the field but ultimately chose to continue after consulting Vinícius.

Midfielder Federico Valverde said teammates near the exchange reported hearing “something ugly.” “If you cover your mouth to say something, it’s because you are saying something that is not nice,” Valverde said.

Benfica players, including midfielder Leandro Barreiro, maintained that Prestianni had only engaged in routine on-field provocation and denied any racist intent.

Vinícius, who has previously been subjected to racist abuse in Spain, has become one of football’s most prominent voices against discrimination. UEFA is expected to review the incident.