Sports
Vinicius Junior's Slow Exit Nearly Costs Real Madrid Against Inter Milan
Real Madrid almost paid a heavy price after Vinicius Junior delayed his substitution during Tuesday night's Champions League clash with Inter Milan. Coach Jose Mourinho withdrew the Brazilian forward in the 87th minute, intending to bring on Alvaro Carreras as his replacement. However, referee Michael Oliver ruled that Vinicius took too long to leave the field while Madrid held a 2-1 lead, appearing to waste time deliberately. As a result, Oliver denied Carreras immediate entry onto the pitch, forcing Real Madrid to play with only ten men for several minutes.
Inter capitalized on the temporary numerical advantage, launching an attack down the left flank that ended with a shot from Henrikh Mkhitaryan, formerly of Borussia Dortmund. Real goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois was forced into a difficult save to keep his team's lead intact. Carreras was finally allowed onto the field only after Madrid cleared the ball for a corner, creating a natural stoppage in play. By that point, more than a minute had elapsed since Vinicius's substitution was signaled, during which the 23-year-old had remained standing near the touchline.
The delay stemmed from a rule introduced after the World Cup, which allows referees to postpone substitutions if the outgoing player fails to exit the pitch within 10 seconds. Vinicius exceeded this limit significantly, pausing to applaud the crowd - some of whom were whistling at him - before leaving the field. Oliver chose to enforce the regulation strictly in this instance.
Despite the drama, the incident did not affect the final outcome. Real Madrid secured a 2-1 victory in their Champions League opener, with goals from Kylian Mbappe and Federico Valverde. Inter's only goal came from Carlos Augusto.