Real Madrid midfielder Aurélien Tchouaméni appeared in a press statement following the victory over Benfica in the first leg of the playoff qualifying for the Champions League round of 16, at the "Estádio da Luz".

He began his talk about what happened with Vinicius: "The truth is that this cannot happen. We were told that a Benfica player called him a 'monkey' while covering his mouth with his shirt. Then he says he didn't say anything, but that doesn't matter... We talked as a team, and Vinicius told us we should continue playing. I don't know what to say, we will talk. This cannot happen."

He added: "What happened between you and Arbeloa? If there is a problem as a team, we will leave. But we talked about it and said we should play. We played, we won. And now to the Bernabeu."

He emphasized: "It's very difficult to play here. With the fans, and with the team... The first 15 minutes are extremely tough, but we played a good match. Our cohesion was excellent, and that's what matters most. If we continue to play like this, we will win many matches, win the duels, and recover the balls...."

He concluded: "The truth is that starting with Vinicius and Kylian as forwards is ideal. With their talent, we can achieve a lot. We will win many matches."