Gianluca Prestianni reacts to Vinicius Junior racism allegations during Benfica, Real Madrid Champions League tie

Benfica attacker Gianluca Prestianni says that he was "never racist with anyone" during Tuesday's Champions League fixture against Real Madrid.

A superb individual goal from Vinicius Junior made the difference during the first leg of the playoff tie at Estadio da Luz.

However, the game was marred by an alleged racist comment made by Prestianni towards Vinicius Junior in the aftermath of his strike during the early stages of the second half.

© Imago / ZUMA Press Wire

Many exchanges occurred between both sets of players before the game was set to resume. However, after a brief exchange where Prestianni covered his mouth with his shirt, Vinicius reported to the referee that the Argentine had made a racist comment.

After the official enforced UEFA protocols and delayed the game by almost 10 minutes, it eventually resumed and was completed, but reaction to the match has been dominated by the incident involving Prestianni and Vinicius Junior.

Prestianni, Benfica deny racism towards Vinicius Junior

On their official X account, Benfica released a brief statement and accompanied it with a video, saying: "As the images demonstrate, given the distance, the Real Madrid players could not have heard what they claim to have heard."

Como demonstram as imagens, dada a distância, os jogadores do Real Madrid não podem ter ouvido o que andam a dizer que ouviram. pic.twitter.com/7JF9AVuhEM

— SL Benfica (@SLBenfica) February 18, 2026

Prior to that post, the Portuguese giants published a statement from Prestianni, who had reacted to the incident on his social media account.

The 20-year-old said: "I want to clarify that at no time did I direct racist insults to Vini Jr, who regrettably misunderstood what he thought he heard.

"I was never racist with anyone and I regret the threats I received from Real Madrid players."

What else has been said in Vinicius Junior, Prestianni fallout?

Benfica boss Jose Mourinho appeared to point the finger of blame for the incident at the feet of Vinicius Junior.

Mourinho claimed that the Brazil international should have found a more "respectful" way to celebrate his goal.

Meanwhile, Real Madrid head coach Alvaro Arbeloa and defender Trent Alexander-Arnold both condemned the alleged racist comments made by Prestianni.