Alessia Russo scored twice and Arsenal staged a remarkable comeback to reach the Women’s Champions League (WCL) semifinals with a 3-0 win over Real Madrid. Mariona Caldentey scored the other as Arsenal grabbed three goals in 13 minutes to overturn the team’s 2-0 loss in the first leg of the quarterfinal in the Spanish capital last week. Caldentey, who used to torment Madrid while playing for Barcelona, wheeled away in delight after leveling the tie three minutes after Russo pulled a goal back as Arsenal couldn’t have had a better start to the second half. Russo fired Arsenal in front for the first time in the tie with an acrobatic finish in the 59th. It proved to be the winner in the 3-2 victory on aggregate. The England star might have had a hat trick only to be denied by a VAR call for offside, then by Madrid goalkeeper Misa in a one-on-one, then by another offside call. Arsenal needed a save from goalkeeper Daphne van Domselaar in stoppage time to prevent Madrid star Linda Caicedo from sending the match to extra time. Arsenal will face last season’s beaten finalist Lyon as it seeks to win the trophy for the second time after success in 2007. Lyon advances Kadidiatou Diani scored one goal and set up two more as Lyon outclassed Bayern Munich 4-1 in the second leg of their quarterfinal earlier. The French powerhouse needed a wake-up call before reaching the semifinals for the 13th time. Klara Bühl opened the scoring in the 33rd minute off the far post to claw a goal back for Bayern after losing the first leg 2-0 in Munich. Who qualified for the 2026 World Cup? Lyon, the eight-time champion, emerged reinvigorated after the break and went on to wrap up a 6-1 victory on aggregate with Diani scoring and setting up goals for Melchie Dumornay and Tabitha Chawinga, who both scored in Munich last week. Dumornay played in Ada Hegerberg to seal the rout with a flourish by shooting the ball through Bayern goalkeeper Maria-Luisa “Mala” Grohs ’ legs in stoppage time. Bayern will be left to rue defensive blunders for undermining its comeback hopes. The other quarterfinal second legs are scheduled for Thursday, with defending champion Barcelona in a comfortable position after a 4-1 win over Wolfsburg in Germany, and Chelsea needing goals as it hosts Manchester City after losing the first leg 2-0. Barcelona defeated Lyon in last year’s final.

Real Madrid beat Atletico Madrid in a Champions League penalty shootout — again — to keep its title defense alive Wednesday and advance to the quarterfinals. Defender Antonio Rüdiger scored the decisive spot-kick in a 4-2 shootout win after two Atletico players missed. Marco Llorente's shot struck the bar after Julián Álvarez's score despite slipping was disallowed on video review because he touched the ball twice. Madrid also beat Atletico in a shootout to win the 2016 final — part of a streak of eliminating its city rival in the knockout rounds for four straight years. That hard-luck run started with the 2014 final when Atletico gave up an equalizing goal in stoppage time. Madrid moves on to the quarterfinals to face Arsenal, which also advanced Wednesday along with Aston Villa and Borussia Dortmund. The quarterfinals lineup was completed with Madrid’s win in a tense derby that had ended 2-2 on aggregate score. Atletico led 1-0 after 90 minutes and extra time in a typically tenacious performance at its Metropolitano Stadium to cancel out Madrid’s 2-1 advantage from the first leg last week. “When you get knocked out, it is not easy to digest," Atletico coach Diego Simeone said, “but I go out with a feeling of peace.” Two key incidents defined regulation time. Atletico Madrid scored within 30 seconds and Real Madrid missed a penalty in the 70th minute. Atletico took the lead with its first attack when England midfielder Conor Gallagher pounced on the ball from close range when a cross by Rodrigo De Paul was deflected into the goalmouth. Madrid star Vinícius Júnior blazed a penalty kick high over the Atletico goal when he could have sent the 15-time champion through. He was substituted in extra time for his teenage fellow Brazilian, Endrick. Does Liverpool's Champions League exit to PSG reveal a flaw in the revamped competition? Kylian Mbappé and Jude Bellingham stepped up to score Madrid's first two spot-kicks, and Fede Valverde also scored before Lucas Vazquez's kick was saved by Jan Oblak. It was more relaxed in London, where Arsenal rested some regulars in a 2-2 draw with PSV Eindhoven to run up a 9-3 aggregate score. Aston Villa also had a stress-free evening at home to ensure England has two teams in the quarterfinals, one night after Premier League leader Liverpool was beaten at Anfield by Paris Saint-Germain in a shootout. Villa won 3-0 against Club Brugge, which played with 10 men from the 17th, after a 3-1 win in Belgium last week. Brugge defender Kyriani Sabbe was sent off for pulling back Marcus Rashford when running clear on goal. Substitute Marco Asensio, on loan at Villa from PSG, scored twice in the second half to ensure his temporary club will meet his parent club next. Borussia Dortmund rallied with two second-half goals to win 2-1 at Lille and advance 3-2 on aggregate. The beaten finalist last season now faces Barcelona.

Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid will renew their rivalry Tuesday as the Champions League returns to familiar territory after a new league phase and playoff stage. The remodeled tournament is back to the round of 16, which used to kick off the knockout stages until UEFA added the extra playoff round this season. In addition to the Madrid derby, the other matches on Tuesday will include Arsenal visiting PSV Eindhoven, Club Brugge facing Aston Villa, and Borussia Dortmund — last year's runner-up to Madrid — taking on Lille. On Wednesday, it will be Paris Saint-Germain hosting Liverpool, Inter Milan visiting Feyenoord, Benfica taking on Barcelona, and Bayern Munich welcoming fellow German club Bayer Leverkusen. The Madrid derby will take place at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium, with Atletico taking on old nemesis Madrid, the record 15-time European champion that struggled in the league phase and needed to get past Manchester City in the playoff stage. Juventus strikes twice in dominant second half to beat Verona in Serie A Atletico secured an automatic spot in the round of 16 by doing well in the league phase, and more than ever it has the confidence that it can finally end its slump against its city rival in the Champions League. “We have a lot of respect for our rival,” Atletico coach Diego Simeone said. “But we also know our strengths." Simeone's team lost two finals to Madrid — in 2014 and 2016 — and was eliminated the other two times they faced off in the knockout rounds — in the 2015 quarterfinals and 2017 semifinals. Madrid hasn't beaten Atletico in four consecutive matches in all competitions, being eliminated in the round of 16 of the Copa del Rey last season. “We know it will be an even match and we feel that it will be decided in the return leg,” Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti said. "We can’t think about trying to take a big lead tomorrow, it’s not possible because our rival is competing very well and the tie will be even until the end.” Other matchups Arsenal finished third in the inaugural league phase behind Barcelona and fellow Premier League club Liverpool. It will visit a PSV Eindhoven side that handed Liverpool its only defeat in the league phase, then got past Juventus in the playoffs in extra time. Nottingham Forest reaches FA Cup quarterfinals after Sels stops Ipswich in shootout Borussia Dortmund, seeking a second consecutive final appearance, will host a Lille team that finished seventh in the league phase in a campaign that included victories over both Madrid and Atletico. Aston Villa also was a league-phase surprise, losing only once to finish eighth and set up the round-of-16 matchup against a Club Brugge squad that defeated Villa 1-0 at home in November and eliminated Atalanta in the playoffs

Real Madrid's problems on defence have been compounded by a muscle injury to David Alaba. Alaba has “an adductor injury in his left leg," the club said on Tuesday. Spanish media said Alaba was expected to be out for two to three weeks, meaning he is likely to miss key matches against Atletico Madrid in La Liga on Saturday and Manchester City in the Champions League next week. Alaba returned to action only last month after being sidelined for more than a year because of a knee injury. His latest injury comes a day after the club said fellow central defender Antonio Rüdiger has a right leg muscle injury that is also expected to keep him sidelined for up to three weeks. UFC fighter denies being Nazi after pro-Hitler remarks backlash Coach Carlo Ancelotti already can't count on central defender Éder Militão and right back Dani Carvajal because of injuries. Youngster Raúl Asencio is the only central defender fit and available. Ancelotti has been improvising midfielder Aurélien Tchouaméni in the middle of the defence.

Former Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain goalkeeper Keylor Navas joined the Argentinian club Newell's Old Boys on a free transfer on Wednesday. The 38-year-old Costa Rican, who recently retired from international soccer, won three Champions League titles with Real but has not played since the end of his stint in Paris last May. “Thank God we are returning to the pitch," Navas said on his social media accounts. "I feel ready, willing and very happy to take this new challenge.” Mainz signs US midfielder Lennard Maloney from Bundesliga rival Heidenheim Newell's, Lionel Messi's boyhood club, is based in Rosario, 300 kilometers (186 miles) northeast of Buenos Aires. Newell's called Navas “an international legend” on social media. He has played in the last three World Cups for his country. The length of his deal with Newell's has not been disclosed.

Real Madrid aims to bounce back from their recent 5-2 loss to Barcelona in the Spanish Super Cup final with the help of a three-game home streak, reports AP. The sequence of matches begins on Thursday with a Copa del Rey last-16 clash against Celta Vigo, followed by a La Liga fixture against Las Palmas on Sunday and a Champions League encounter with Salzburg on 22 January. Real Madrid's Vinicius Junior banned for two matches after red card Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti expressed disappointment over the loss but emphasised the importance of looking ahead. “We are sad and disappointed,” Ancelotti said. “We must focus on regaining the momentum we had before this match against Barcelona.” Before the defeat, Madrid had won five consecutive matches across all competitions. However, Barcelona has consistently been a challenging opponent, also defeating Madrid 4-0 at the Santiago Bernabéu in October during La Liga. Midfielder Luka Modrić urged the team to rally together and respond positively. “We need to stick together and react as we did after losing to them in La Liga,” Modrić said. “It’s tough to see your biggest rival score nine goals across two matches, but I’m confident we’ll recover. There’s still a long season ahead, and we’ll give our fans plenty to celebrate.” Currently, Madrid sits second in La Liga, one point behind Atlético Madrid and five points ahead of third-placed Barcelona at the halfway mark of the season. In the Champions League, they rank 20th in the 36-team league phase. Ancelotti will face additional challenges, including the absence of Vinícius Júnior for the Las Palmas game due to a red-card suspension, which the club failed to overturn on appeal. Defensive issues also persist, with injuries to players like Éder Militão and Dani Carvajal forcing makeshift solutions, particularly at right back. Ancelotti hinted at potential signings during the transfer window to address these vulnerabilities. Injured Mbappé to travel with Real Madrid to Qatar with hopes of playing Intercontinental Cup final Reflecting on the Super Cup loss, Ancelotti acknowledged defensive lapses. “We didn’t defend well, and it cost us. They scored too easily,” he said. Meanwhile, Copa del Rey matches are in full swing. Barcelona hosts Real Betis on Wednesday, aiming to build on their three-match winning streak this year under Hansi Flick. On the same day, Atlético Madrid, currently on a club-record 14-game winning streak, visits second-division Elche. Defending champions Athletic Bilbao will play Osasuna on Thursday, while Real Sociedad hosts Rayo Vallecano.

The 2024 UEFA Champions League final will take place at Wembley Stadium in London, England, on 1 June 2024. The two finalists are German club Borussia Dortmund and Spanish club Real Madrid.  In this 69th season of Europe's premier club football tournament, Real Madrid will fight for their 15th Champions League trophy. On the other hand, Borussia Dortmund will look to add a 2nd UCL trophy to their cabinet, after their 1st one in 1997.  Road to the Final: How the finalists got there Stats of Real Madrid in the UEFA Champions League 2023-24 Table: Match Results of Real Madrid in the ongoing Champions League So Far Round Opponent Home/Away Result Group Union Berlin Home 1-0 Win Napoli Away 3-2 Win Barga Away 2-1 Win Barga Home 3-0 Win Napoli Home 4-2 Win Union Berlin Away 3-2 Win Round of 16 RB Leipzig Away 1-0 Win RB Leipzig Home 1-1 Quarter-Finals Manchester City Home 1-1 Manchester City Away 3-3 Semi-Finals Bayern Munich Away 2-2 Bayern Munich Home 2-1 Win Real Madrid had an incredible run this season. They are yet to be beaten in this season’s Champions League. They were drawn into a group with Napoli, S.C. Braga, and Union Berlin, where they topped the group winning all the matches, the only team other than defending champions Manchester City to do it this season.  Read more: FIFA World Ranking: Bangladesh drops to 184th In the knockouts, they faced RB Leipzig in the round 16, winning the tie 2-1 on aggregate. Their quarter-final tie was their toughest this time when they clashed with Manchester City. After an exhausting tie of two legs which finished 4-4 on aggregate, they got the edge over City on penalties. They won the semi-finals in the most Real Madrid manner possible.  After getting a 2-2 draw from Allianz Arena, they trailed by 1-0 in the Santiago Bernabeu until the 88th minute. Then Joeslu scored two in a matter of 3 minutes to take them to the finals.  Stats of Borussia Dortmund in the UEFA Champions League 2023-24 Table: Match Results of Borussia Dortmund in the ongoing Champions League So Far Round Opponent Home/Away Result Group PSG Away 2-0 Loss AC Milan Home 0-0 Newcastle Away 1-0 Win Newcastle Home 2-0 Win AC Milan Away 3-1 Win PSG Home 1-1 Round of 16 PSV Eindhoven Away 1-1 PSV Eindhoven Home 2-0 Win Quarter-Finals Atletico Madrid Away 2-1 Loss Atletico Madrid Home 4-2 Win Semi-Finals PSG Home 1-0 Win PSG Away 1-0 Win Borussia Dortmund was drawn into the group of death this season with PSG, AC Milan, and Newcastle. They started their campaign with a 2-0 loss against PSG and a 0-0 draw against Milan but gradually gained momentum. They won their next three games and ended the group stage with a 1-1 draw against PSG to top the group.  Read more: SAFF U-16 Women's Champs: Bangladesh come from behind to beat India on penalties in final Later they came away with an aggregate 3-1 win against PSV Eindhoven in the round of 16. Their quarter-final battle was against Atletico Madrid. Atletico won the first leg by 2-1. But Dortmund turned things at home with a 4-2 win to proceed to the semi-finals where they were facing PSG. PSG had the upper hand in the group games between these two. But Dortmund fought all the odds and beat PSG by 1-0 in both legs to advance to their 3rd ever UEFA Champions League final. It is their first one since 2012-2013. Stats of Previous Finals  Table: Performances of the 2024 UEFA Champions League Finalists in Previous Finale Matches  Team Previous Final Appearances Wins  Borussia Dortmund 2 (1997, 2013) 1997  Real Madrid 17 (1956, 1957, 1958, 1959, 1960, 1962, 1964, 1966, 1981, 1998, 2000, 2002, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2022) 14 (1956, 1957, 1958, 1959, 1960, 1966, 1998, 2000, 2002, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2022) Note: Final matches until 1992 were in the European Cup era. Since 1993 the finals were in the UEFA Champions League era. Read more: FIFA World Cup Qualifiers: Bangladesh concede 0-1 goal defeat against Palestine in last moment debacle H2H Records between Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund So Far in UEFA Champions League Table: Real Madrid vs Borussia Dortmund Head-to-Head Records Matches Played Real Madrid Win Draw Borussia Dortmund 14 6 5 3 Table: Real Madrid vs Borussia Dortmund Goal Records Goals Scored Real Madrid Borussia Dortmund 24 19 Full Squads of Real Madrid Goal Keepers: Thibaut Courtois, Andriy Lunin, Kepa Arrizabalaga, Diego Piñeiro, Fran González, and Lucas Cañizares. Read more: Real Madrid will be out for revenge against Man City in the Champions League. Expect fireworks Defenders:   Dani Carvajal, Éder Militão, David Alaba, Nacho, Fran García, Antonio Rüdiger, Ferland Mendy, Rafel Obrador, Alvaro Carrillo, Marvel, Vinicius Tobias, Edgar Pujol, and Jacobo Ramón.  Midfielders: Jude Bellingham, Toni Kroos, Luka Modrić, Eduardo Camavinga, FedericoValverde, Lucas Vázquez, Aurélien Tchouameni, Dani Ceballos, Brahim Díaz, Arda Güler, Mario Martín, Nicolás Paz, and Théo Zidane.  Forwards:  Vinícius Júnior, Rodrygo, Joselu, Álvaro Rodríguez, and Gonzalo.  Read more: FIFA World Cup Qualifiers: Bangladesh to play Lebanon in Qatar June 11 Full Squads of Borussia Dortmund Goal Keepers: Gregor Kobel, Silas Ostrzinski, Alexander Meyer, and Marcel Lotka. Defenders:   Nico Schlotterbeck, Ramy Bensebaini, Mats Hummels, Ian Maatsen, Emre Can, Niklas Süle, Julian Ryerson, Lion Semic, and Guillermo Bueno.  Midfielders: Salih Özcan, Felix Nmecha, Jadon Sancho, Marco Reus, Julien Duranville, Marius Wolf, Julian Brandt, Marcel Sabitzer, Abdoulaye Kamara, Kjell-Arik Wätjen, and Jamie Bynoe-Gittens. Forwards: Sébastien Haller, Niclas Füllkrug, Youssoufa Moukoko, Donyell Malen, Karim Adeyemi, Paris Brunner, and Samuel Bamba. Read more: César Luis Menotti, coach who led Argentina to its first World Cup title in 1978, dies at 85 Key Players for Real Madrid: Vinicius Junior Vinicius is a player who is made for big occasions and is a difference-maker for such games. He scored 5 and assisted 5 in this campaign. But 2 of his 5 goals came against Bayern in the semis and one came against Leipzig in the Round of 16. Similarly, 4 of his 5 assists came against Manchester City and Bayern Munich in the quarter and semi-finals. He has been the guy for Real Madrid to deliver at the big moments and he has to do it once again. Andriy Lunin The Ukrainian shot-stopper has been saving almost everything that has been thrown at him. He is a big factor for Real Madrid coming this far despite having all the injuries in the squad. He has the third most saves in this UCL. He has to step up in the final also. Key Players for Borussia Dortmund Gregor Kobel Borussia Dortmund has been progressing so far thanks to their defensive grit and resilience. Their Goalkeeper Gregor Kobel had played a big part in it. He conceded only 8, the lowest among keepers, playing at least 10 matches this season. He also has the most clean sheets and saves this season. Against a team with such attacking prowess as Real Madrid, Kobel surely has to bring out his best to win it for his team. Read more: Maradona's 1986 Golden Ball heads to auction Mats Hummels Borussia Dortmund conceded the 2nd least amount of goals amongst clubs who have reached at least the quarter-finals. Their defense has driven them to the finals this season. Mats Hummels is the leader of this defense.  He is the player with the most balls recovered, most tackles, most tackles won, and most clearances attempted. Therefore, if Dortmund is to win the game, he has to play a big part in it. Prediction and Final Words Real Madrid won 14 matches out of 17 finale matches so far. In the UEFA Champions League era, started in 1993, Real Madrid did not lose any final matches. Therefore, they always had the upper hand against any team in the Champions League because of their pedigree. Nobody has mastered the art of winning this competition like them. Not to mention, they are the favorites in the 2024 UEFA Champions League finale.  However, Borussia Dortmund cannot be written off as well for the performance and determination they have shown during this UCL 2023-24 season.  Therefore, it will be a tough battle and the winner is to be seen on the 1st of June. Read more: From fan to hero, super sub Joselu lifts Real Madrid past Bayern and into Champions League final

Xavi Hernández won't continue as Barcelona's coach after this season, saying he can't get the team out of a slump. Xavi announced his decision on Saturday, minutes after Barcelona lost to Villarreal 5-3 in the Spanish league, leaving it 10 points adrift of leader Real Madrid. "I would like to announce that on June 30 I will cease being the coach of Barça," Xavi said. "As a Barcelona fan, I can't allow this situation to continue, we need a change of course and of dynamics." BPL Football: Both fixtures end goalless on Saturday Xavi said he made the decision "several days ago," and although the hard defeat to Villarreal set the scene for him to announce the decision, he "would have made" it soon enough. He said he hoped this decision will decrease the stress and tension his team is enduring. "The feeling of being the coach of Barcelona is cruel, it is unpleasant, you feel like you don't get the respect you deserve," Xavi said. "It wears you down, affects your mental health, your emotions, up to the point that you say you can't go on. My loved ones know that." Xavi returned to Barcelona as the coach in November 2021 with his only experience a stint in Qatar. He has a contract through the end of next season. The 44-year-old Xavi led Barcelona to the Spanish Super Cup title and the Spanish league title last season, the club's first trophies since the exit of Lionel Messi. The club mortgaged its future to help him do that by signing players like Robert Lewandowski. BPL Football: Holders Bashundhara Kings to play Dhaka Abahani Ltd in a titan battle on Friday But Barcelona has struggled this season and has shown severe signs of suffering a collapse this month. Barcelona saw its best two chances of getting a title in this campaign evaporate recently. Xavi's side exited the Copa del Rey quarterfinals after losing in extra time at Athletic Bilbao 4-2 on Wednesday, a loss that came two weeks after Barcelona was dismantled by Real Madrid in the Spanish Super Cup. After the Villarreal debacle Xavi said his players' lacked the "maturity" to know how to hold onto leads, and after the Bilbao loss he also underscored that he was playing with several young players. But that seemed at odds with the fact that his starting side was led with veterans like Lewandowski, Ilkay Gundogan and players in their prime like Pedri González and Frenkie de Jong. Federation Cup Football: Sheikh Jamal DC assure knock out stage outplaying Rahmatganj MFS 4-1 Barcelona is set to play Napoli in the Champions League round of 16 next month. Xavi said he was still motivated to lead the team at what is no doubt a long-shot bid at ending his stint with a European Cup.

Brazil's President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has joined soccer clubs and players in coming out to support star striker Vinícius Júnior after he once more faced racist abuse in a Spanish league match on Sunday. The latest incident took place in Real Madrid's 1-0 loss at Valencia, a match that had to be temporarily stopped after the Brazil forward said he was insulted by a fan behind one of the goals at Mestalla Stadium. Valencia fans were filmed making monkey chants toward Vinícius, who is Black. Lula told a news conference in Japan on the sidelines of a G7 meeting that he hopes FIFA, the Spanish League and other soccer bodies "take measures so we don't allow racism and fascism to take over" in the sport. Also Read: Vinicius Junior says Spanish league ‘now belongs to racists’ after enduring more abuse "It is not fair that a poor boy who is winning in his life, becoming one of the best in the world, certainly the best at Real Madrid, is insulted in every stadium he goes to," Lula said. Several of his cabinet ministers also backed Vinicius and were critical of the Spanish league. Brazil's Human Rights Minister Silvio Almeida, who is Black, said on Twitter: "The behavior of Spanish authorities and of the entities that govern its soccer is criminal." "It shows undeniable acceptance of racism," Almeida said. "(Vinicius) I will be on your side to hold those that attack you accountable, but also those who omit themselves." Rio de Janeiro Mayor Eduardo Paes used expletives on Twitter to insult Spanish league president Javier Tebas, who criticized Vinicius following the incident for his comments on the lack of action of the sport's national authorities every time he is racially abused during matches. "You want to blame the victim, you idiot?" Paes posted. Ednaldo Rodrigues, the first Black president of the Brazilian soccer confederation, said he is troubled by the lack of action in Spain after another racist incident against Vinicius. "Until when will we have to see episodes like the one we just witnessed, yet again in La Liga?" Rodrigues said. "Until when will we have to fight for concrete and efficient measures on and off the pitch? There is no joy where there is racism." Flamengo, the club where Vinicius started his career, issued a statement saying "it is even more shocking to know that it is not the first time and that so little has been done to fight (racism in the Spanish league) and stop it from happening again." Other Brazilian clubs made similar comments. Many of Vinicius' teammates in the national team also showed their support for the 22-year-old forward, who has been subject to racist abuse since moving to Spain five years ago. "They always did whatever they could to stop Blacks from coming near the top," striker Richarlison said. "They enslaved, marginalized and killed. But they will never knock down those who were born to be big. History forgets the rats and makes those fighting these bad people much bigger. I am with you always, Vini." Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti considered replacing Vinícius after he said fans at the Mestalla Stadium chanted "monkey" toward him. He said Vinícius initially didn't want to continue playing. He was later sent off after an altercation with Valencia players, and gestured to home fans about their team's fight against relegation as he left the field.    

Vinícius Júnior was subjected to racist abuse yet again on Sunday with the Brazil star saying the Spanish league "now belongs to racists." The latest abuse against Vinícius came in Real Madrid's 1-0 loss at Valencia, a match that had to be temporarily stopped after the Brazil forward said he was insulted by a fan behind one of the goals at Mestalla Stadium. "It wasn't the first time, or the second or the third. Racism is normal in LaLiga. The competition thinks it's normal, as does the federation, and the opponents encourage it," Vinícius said on Instagram and Twitter. "The league that once belonged to Ronaldinho, Ronaldo, Cristiano (Ronaldo) and (Lionel) Messi now belongs to racists ... But I'm strong and I will fight until the end against the racists. Even if far from here." Also Read: Brazil’s president, players support Vinícius Júnior, criticize racism in Spanish league The 22-year-old Vinícius, who is is Black, has been subjected to racist abuse since moving to Spain five years ago. Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti considered replacing the star forward after Vinícius said fans at Mestalla chanted "monkey" toward him. He said Vinícius initially didn't want to continue playing. "What happened today shouldn't happen," Ancelotti said. "When a stadium yells 'monkey' to a player, and the coach considers taking him out of the field because of that, it means that there is something bad in this league." The veteran coach refused to talk about the game after what happened, saying his team's loss meant nothing. "The game should have been stopped," Ancelotti said. "This shouldn't happen. It wasn't only one person, as it has happened in several stadiums. Here, it was a stadium racially insulting a player, the game had to stop. I would have said the same thing if it was 3-0 for us. You have to stop the game, there was no way around it." Ancelotti said he asked the referee to stop the match, but was told that the protocol was to first make an announcement to fans, then take other action if the problem continued. Ancelotti said Vinícius didn't want to keep playing but he told the player that he wasn't guilty of anything and that he was the victim. Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois said he would have left the field with Vinicius if his teammate had decided to stop playing. "Vinícius is upset, obviously, but more than upset, he is sad," Ancelotti said. According to Spanish media reports, Valencia has identified two fans who allegedly insulted Vinícius behind one of the goals. Some comments on social media claimed fans were saying the Spanish word "tonto" (silly) instead of "mono" (monkey). Valencia later said it expected Ancelotti to apologize to Valencia fans for accusing them of racism after misunderstanding what was said. The coach told a news conference that the referee wouldn't have started the racism protocol if he didn't think there was racism in the stadium. Vinícius was later sent off after an altercation with Valencia players, and gestured to home fans about their team's fight against relegation as he left the field. Valencia took a huge step toward avoiding the drop with the 1-0 victory opening a five-point gap to the bottom three teams entering the final three rounds. "The reward for the racists was my ejection!" Vinícius said on Instagram, along with the Spanish league's slogan "It's not soccer, it's LaLiga." Vinícius had called the referee around the 70th minute and started pointing to a person sitting among the Valencia supporters. The player went near the stands and confronted the fans while players from both teams tried to restore calm. Police eventually arrived in the stands to deal with the supporters. An announcement was made asking fans to behave. The match at Mestalla was stopped for about seven minutes, and not long after it resumed Vinícius clashed with Valencia players and was sent off for pushing one of his opponents away with a hand to his face. After the decision of his ejection was made following a video review, Vinícius started applauding ironically. As he was leaving the field, he made a "going down" gesture over relegation. That upset players on the Valencia bench and some charged toward Vinícius as he left the field, causing the game to be temporarily stopped again. Valencia coach Rubén Baraja condemned the behavior of Valencia fans but also criticized Vinícius, saying he should have respected the club and its supporters. Vinícius' teammate Dani Ceballos criticized the fans but said he also expected Vinícius to apologize for his gestures after being sent off. Ancelotti said Vinícius' reaction was normal considering what he had gone through moments earlier. The Spanish league said it has requested images from the game to investigate what happened. It will also probe possible insults against Vinícius outside Mestalla, when a large group of fans also allegedly called the player a monkey as the Madrid bus arrived. League president Javier Tebas criticized Vinícius for attacking the league without fully understanding what it has done recently to combat racism, and saying the player didn't show up for talks on the subject that he had requested himself. The league has made nine formal complaints over racist abuse against Vinícius over the last two seasons, with many of the cases being shelved. A Mallorca fan may end up going on trial after allegedly racially insulting the Brazilian during a game. President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva joined a wave of Brazilian politicians, players and clubs coming out to support Vinícius and criticize racism in the Spanish league. Lula told a news conference in Japan on the sidelines of a G7 meeting that he hopes FIFA, the Spanish League and other soccer bodies "take measures so we don't allow racism and fascism to take over" in the sport. The first trial against a fan accused of racial abuse in Spanish professional soccer is expected to happen at some point this year in a case involving Athletic Bilbao forward Iñaki Williams, who was insulted by an Espanyol supporter in a match in 2020.