1,700 Photos That Tell the Full Story of the Vinicius-Prestianni Incident at the Da Luz
A MARCA photographer captured 1,700 images of the Vinicius-Prestianni flashpoint at Benfica vs Real Madrid — and the sequence reveals details you didn't see on TV.
A MARCA photographer was pitchside for the entire Vinicius-Prestianni flashpoint in Lisbon — and his 1,700 images tell a story that TV cameras only half caught.
What Actually Happened, Frame by Frame
The incident kicked off after Vinicius scored and sprinted to the corner flag to do his thing — the celebration, the dance, the full works. That’s when things got proper messy.
- As Vinicius was still celebrating, up to six lighters were thrown onto the pitch at the Real Madrid players. Six. Lighters.
- Prestianni, the young Benfica forward, was watching the celebration from the background — and that’s when he made his move towards the Brazilian.
- The two squared up. Prestianni pulled his shirt up over his mouth — the first time he did so — and that’s the moment at the centre of UEFA’s investigation. Was that when the alleged racist insult was directed at Vinicius?
- Vinicius, for his part, made a beeline for the referee shortly after, which triggered the activation of the anti-racism protocol and brought the match to a temporary halt.
Mbappé Wasn’t Having It Either
One of the more eyebrow-raising details from the sequence is Kylian Mbappé’s reaction. He wasn’t a bystander — he was absolutely fuming. The assistant referee had to physically intervene to hold back a Frenchman who was clearly ready to get involved. Rüdiger, playing the role of peacekeeper, tried to calm Mbappé down, but Kylian ended up going face-to-face with Prestianni himself before things were brought under control.
It’s the sort of detail that gets lost in the heat of the moment on broadcast, but the stills paint a much clearer picture of just how close this got to kicking right off.
UEFA Now Investigating
The governing body has launched an investigation into the alleged racist abuse, and given the gravity of what’s being claimed, it’s not going to be swept under the carpet. Prestianni’s gesture — covering his mouth with his shirt — is the key piece of evidence being scrutinised, and with 1,700 images now in existence from one photographer alone, there’s no shortage of material for investigators to work with.
Vinicius has been here before, of course. The Brazilian has been at the centre of too many of these situations during his time in Spain and Europe, and each time the football world is forced to confront uncomfortable truths about racism in the stands and on the pitch.
The Bigger Picture
What the photo sequence really underlines is how chaotic those few minutes were at the Da Luz:
- Lighters raining down on players
- A heated confrontation between two footballers
- Mbappé going absolutely spare on the touchline
- The anti-racism protocol being activated mid-match
All of that unfolded in the space of a few minutes. It’s a lot. UEFA’s findings will be the ones that matter in the end, but these images make it very hard to pretend this was nothing.
Source: MARCA – Las 1.700 imágenes inéditas del caso Vinicius-Prestianni