Mourinho says Vinicius was bullied after Espanyol match
Real Madrid head coach Jose Mourinho said after the 2-1 win over Espanyol that Brazilian winger Vinicius Junior is subjected to excessively harsh treatment by opponents and fans. According to Channel NewsAsia, this match was Real Madrid's first since Mourinho returned to the club.
Incident at the start of the game
Early in the match, Alex Calatrava brought Vinicius down from behind and later, as Madrid's players believed, struck the forward again while he was lying on the pitch. Real Madrid players demanded Calatrava be sent off, but the referee did not sanction him.
Later, Calatrava equalized after Jude Bellingham had put Real Madrid ahead. The winning goal in the 90th minute was scored by substitute Carlo Espi.
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Mourinho's reaction
Mourinho called the treatment of Vinicius a recurring trend. He noted that the footballer needs to maintain emotional control despite provocations and advised him to celebrate goals cautiously.
The coach also mentioned an incident last season, when he was in charge of Benfica. Then, during a Champions League match against Real Madrid, according to the source, Vinicius was subjected to discriminatory insults from Benfica player Gianluca Prestianni. UEFA later suspended Prestianni for six matches for discriminatory behavior deemed homophobic. Mourinho was criticized at the time for defending the Benfica player.
