MADRID: Goals by Karim Benzema and Rodrygo earned Real Madrid a 2-1 win over mid-table Rayo Vallecano in La Liga on Wednesday as fans and players showed their support for Vinicius Jr who was subjected to racial abuse over the weekend.

Real’s Brazilian forward Vinicius received a tribute ahead of the game after being the target of racist insults during the 1-0 loss at Valencia on Sunday.

Real’s players took to the pitch wearing shirts bearing Vinicius’s number 20 while the captains of both teams wore armbands carrying anti-racism messages.

Dressed in street clothes and visibly agitated, Vinicius joined his team-mates on the pitch for a standing ovation after all the players posed next to an official La Liga banner “Racists, out of football.”

He was not part of the Real squad for the match even though the red card he received at Valencia was overturned by the Spanish Football Federation.

A knee issue forced Vinicius to miss training ahead of the fixture, Spanish media reported, and he watched the game sitting next to Real’s president Florentino Perez.

“I was surprised by the decision of the (RFEF’s) competition committee,” coach Carlo Ancelotti told a press conference. “I think it is the right decision.” He added that the partial stand closure imposed on Valencia as a punishment was an important step forward.

Many Real fans came to the stadium wearing the Brazilian’s shirt and scarves, sending a clear message that they are unhappy about the abuse he is suffering in stadiums around Spain.

Benzema put Real ahead just after the half-hour mark when he latched on to a Federico Valverde cross on the edge of the box and finished from close range.

Rayo striker Raul de Tomas levelled six minutes from time but Rod­rygo restored Real’s lead in the 89th minute, beating keeper Stole Dimit­rievski with a low shot from just outside the box.

Rodrygo celebrated his goal with a raised fist gesture, a symbol often associated with social movements including anti-racism.

With two games remaining, Real moved up one place to second on 74 points, one point above Atletico Madrid, who missed the chance to leapfrog Los Blancos and stayed third following their 3-3 draw against Espanyol.

Saul, Yannick Carr­asco and Antoine Griez­mann struck for Atletico, who were lethal on the counter against Espa­nyol, fighting for their lives.

The Catalan side did not give up and Cesar Montes, Joselu and Vinicius Souza pulled them level in a wild 15-minute spell in the second half.

In the night’s other fixtures, Villarreal kept their slim Champions League qualifying hopes alive with a 2-0 win over struggling Cadiz, closing the gap on fourth-placed Real Sociedad to five points while, Getafe’s 1-0 win at Real Betis pulled them up to 16th, level on 38 points with Cadiz, and Valladolid, 18th.

Published in Dawn, May 26th, 2023