A resounding victory on paper, but persistent unease behind the scenes. Tuesday evening, Real Madrid largely won against Leipzig (4-1), recording a fourth consecutive victory as the Clasico looms. However, despite the new offensive festival of the Merengues, Vinicius Junior continues to show his spleen.
Starting at kick-off, the 26-year-old Brazilian striker once again delivered a performance well below his usual standards. Because “Vini” is struggling today to regain his best level, which allowed him to join the fight for the Ballon d’Or in 2024. Mute against the German team, he has only one goal on the clock in eleven matches in all competitions since the start of the season.
Replaced in the 70th minute by the young Yan Diomandé – who stood out a few moments later by scoring a real gem – the Auriverde international returned to the bench with his head bowed, looking particularly sad. Asked about him after the meeting, Kylian Mbappé gave frank and massive support to his teammate.
“He has the talent”
“I think it’s very good that he’s sad because it means he wants to give a lot to the team and the fans. He must remain calm and be proud of who he is. A great player must always be proud of who he is and maintain confidence, because he has talent.”he confided, José Mourinho following suit at a press conference: “Only he can say what he feels. I’m happy with his match. We always expect more from him, to make a difference individually. But I liked what he did. »
For his part, Kylian Mbappé had a good evening overall. Firstly a decisive passer on the second goal signed by Arda Güler (52nd), the captain of the France team himself sealed Madrid’s success at the end of the match. Having remained discreet for a long time, the Frenchman finally found the opening in the 83rd minute by unleashing a nice shot from the right from 20 meters, leaving the opposing goalkeeper no chance. A splendid achievement, his 73rd in the premier competition.
On his social networks, Vinicius broke the silence late in the evening by publishing several photos of the meeting accompanied by the ambiguous message: “Live every moment. Everything passes. » The Brazilian will, however, have to be patient to redeem himself on the national scene. Suspended for four matches in La Liga following his gesture of humor against Nathan Saliba during the match against Villarreal on October 10, he will miss the long-awaited clash against FC Barcelona on Sunday.
