Real Madrid coach Xabi Alonso wanted to emphasize that there were no problems between him and Vinicius Junior, and he did so by starting him against Valencia on Saturday in La Liga.
The match seemed very easy for Real Madrid, who opened the scoring through Kylian Mbappé in the 19th minute from a penalty kick, and added another in the 31st minute. The referee then awarded the French star another penalty in the 43rd minute.
Mbappé, with Alonso’s approval, allowed Vinicius Junior to take the penalty, hoping that the ball would go in and give him a boost of confidence, allowing him to continue his outstanding form this season.
But surprisingly, the Brazilian star disappointed, taking the penalty kick very poorly, allowing goalkeeper Yulin Aguirrezabala to easily save it, especially since it was shot almost straight down the middle. Alonso’s disappointment was evident afterward.
Coincidentally, Vinicius Junior’s last missed penalty for Real Madrid was also in April, against Valencia at the Santiago Bernabéu, but it was goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili who saved it.
Overall, Vinicius has missed two penalties in his career with Real Madrid and two with the Brazilian national team, compared to scoring nine – eight for Real Madrid and one for Brazil.
