The striker was given a home before kick-off after he was the victim of racial slurs in a 1-0 defeat to Valencia on Sunday.
A banner behind one of the Santiago Bernabeu’s two goals reads: ‘We are all Vinicius, enough is enough’, along with other messages of support for the young striker.
Real Madrid players entered the pitch wearing shirts bearing the Brazilian player’s number 20, and the captains of both teams wore armbands bearing anti-racist phrases.
The player, dressed in unsportsmanlike clothing, joined his teammates on the pitch where he received a standing ovation from the crowd after all the players took a photo next to an official La Liga sign that read ‘There is no there is no place for racists in football”.
The player was not part of Real’s squad for the game, despite the cancellation of the red card he received against Valencia and the penalty awarded as a result.
And Spanish media reported that Vinicius missed training ahead of the clash with a knee problem and watched the game from the stands alongside Real Madrid president Florentino Perez.
Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti said: “I was surprised by the decision of the Competitions Committee (of the Spanish Football Federation). I think it was the right decision.”
He added that penalizing Valencia by partially closing their stadium is an important step forward, indicating that he hopes “this problem will be solved soon. The players around Vinicius are very affected”.
Karim Benzema scored the first goal after half an hour from close range, taking advantage of a Federico Valverde pass from the edge of the penalty area.
Raul de Tomas equalized for Rayo six minutes from time.
Rodrigo scored the winning goal in the 89th minute with a low shot from outside the penalty area.
Two games before the end of the season, Real moved into second place on 74 points, two points behind third-placed Atletico Madrid, who travel to Espanyol later in the day, and 11 points behind Barcelona, who clinched the title.
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