Real Madrid midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni has decribed it as a victory that Benfica’s Gianluca Prestianni was suspended for the second leg of their Champions League play-off. Vinicius Junior accused Prestianni of racist abuse during the first leg last week, and UEFA handed him a provisional one-game ban while their investigation is ongoing.
Prestianni and Benfica were furious that he was banned ‘without evidence’, with the former accusing UEFA of being in bed with Real Madrid. However Tchouameni felt it was the right decision, as he told El Chiringuito after their 2-1 win on Wednesday night.
“He said to other players, that he said f*****, but Vinicius told us, what he said, you know. What’s happened to him, for me, I think it was the best decision. Knowing that this guy wasn’t playing today, as I’ve said, here are things more important than football, and today is a victory for all of us.”
🗣️ “¿Prestianni? Que no haya jugado es una VICTORIA PARA TODOS NOSOTROS”.
👉 “Le dijo a varios jugadroes que dijo ‘maric*n'”.
Tchouaméni, tras el Real Madrid-Benfica. #ChiringuitoMadrid pic.twitter.com/Nw2MUkORJm
— El Chiringuito TV (@elchiringuitotv) February 25, 2026
Tchouameni on potential Manchester City tie
Goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois joked after the match that he was certain that Real Madrid would be facing Manchester City in the Round of 16, one of two teams they could draw along with Sporting CP. Tchouameni commented to Marca that Portugal was an easier journey if nothing else.
“Surely the trip to Lisbon is better than the trip to Manchester because it’s shorter, but in the end it doesn’t matter. I think if we want to win that competition we have to play against everyone, against the best teams, and it doesn’t matter who we play against. We have to show our best version.”
‘We need more consistency’ – Tchouameni
Tchouameni rejected the idea that he was ‘the boss’ of Real Madrid after a player of the match performance, but did call on his side to show this side of themselves more often.
“No, I think I try, like all players, to do things right. Today was a good day for me and I have to keep it up.”
“We definitely need more consistency, but we try to do things the best we can. We certainly have to improve, but we won the game today, that’s the most important thing, and we’ll see about tomorrow.”
Los Blancos host Getafe on Monday night at the Bernabeu, with Barcelona going into the weekend a point ahead of the Catalan side. Under Alvaro Arbeloa, Real Madrid had overhauled a four-point deficit before their defeat to Osasuna on Saturday.
