SUMMARY
- Recently, Vinicius Jr. grabbed the RB Leipzig player by the neck during the match.
- RB Leipzig players have criticized Vinicius Jr. for his unprofessional action.
A lot of refereeing decisions have been under scrutiny lately. The referee decisions have confused the fans, some of which, according to them, have been too harsh. Some decisions are deemed too soft, which has made the fans doubt the referees’ authority. This paradox has been reinforced by a controversial decision involving Vinicius Jr., which has divided the fans.
🚨🗣️ Benjamin Henrichs: “If one of our players went for the neck of a Real Madrid player, he’d be sent off 100%.”
Willi Orban also told Sky Sports: “The referees don’t have the guts to put such players down. He grabs my neck with both hands. That’s disrespectful.” 😳 pic.twitter.com/0Uii1r2352
— EuroFoot (@eurofootcom) March 7, 2024
Real Madrid faced German side RB Leipzig in the second leg of the quarterfinals of the UEFA Champions League 23/24. However, the exciting game was marred with conflicts, one of the major ones involving Vinicius Jr. and Willi Orban.
RB Leipzig players criticize Vinicius Jr.’s disrespectful action
The Brazilian player had an ugly clash with the RB Leipzig skipper on the pitch. In the 54th minute, Vinicius Jr. fouled the Hungarian player, who looked pretty upset with the challenge. However, the Real Madrid player didn’t stop there, as he shoved Willi Orban by his throat. Controversially, the Brazilian player did not receive any harsh treatment from the referee, who was happy to show Vini Jr. a yellow card.
This incident infuriated the German club, who were annoyed at the Brazilian’s disgusting gesture. RB Leipzig full-back Benjamin Hendrichs accused the referees of unfair treatment. He said, “If one of our players went for the neck of a Real Madrid player, he’d be sent off 100%.”
Bellingham thought he won it! 😱
The Englishman put the ball in the back of the net, but the final whistle sounded just seconds beforehand ❌
Real Madrid players are FURIOUS 😤 pic.twitter.com/MvmLFkZdmH
— Viaplay Sports UK (@ViaplaySportsUK) March 2, 2024
Even Willi Orban did not hold back his emotions after the game. The 31-year-old said after the game to Sky Sports, “The referees don’t have the guts to put such players down. He grabs my neck with both hands. That’s disrespectful.”
Real Madrid has been the center of controversial refereeing decisions in the past couple of weeks. On La Liga 23/24 matchday 27, referee Gil Manzano strangely blew the full-time whistle before Jude Bellingham scored the winner against Valencia CF. The referee then went on to send off both Jude and Antonio Rudiger for protesting against his decision.
Vinicius Jr. scores as Real Madrid qualify for the UCL quarter-finals
The Brazilian was on the scoresheet for the 15th time in the 23/34 season as ‘Los Blancos’ drew against RB Leipzig. The draw meant that the record UCL winners won overall on aggregate with a 2-1 scoreline. The Spanish team had earlier won 1-0 at RB Leizig’s home thanks to a Brahim Diaz wonder goal. With this, Real Madrid has now qualified for 12 of the last 14 UCL quarterfinals.
🌟 ¡GOLAZO! 🌟
🅰 @BellinghamJude ➡ @ViniJr ⚽#UCL pic.twitter.com/L4IVzqu7mi— Real Madrid C.F. (@realmadrid) March 7, 2024
Leipzig’s only goal of the night was scored by captain Willi Orban. The German side had many chances in the game to seal the tie. But their Belgian striker, Lois Openda, had a very forgetful night, as he missed many easy chances. Real Madrid goalkeeper Andriy Lunin turned savior, as the Ukrainian displayed some world-class goalkeeping.
Real Madrid fans will get to know about their quarter-final opponents when UEFA holds the draw on March 15, 2024. ‘Los Blancos’ will be confident of a win, especially after hearing about the potential returns of Thibaut Courtois and Eder Militao. Both have been sidelined due to ACL injuries but are very close to full recovery.
