Vinicius stays scoreless, despite Madrid putting four past Leipzig

MADRID — Vinicius Junior's scoring slump continued in his return to the Real Madrid lineup in the Champions League.

The Brazilian forward had an ineffective performance and couldn't find the net in Madrid's 4-1 win over Leipzig at home on Wednesday, reaching nine straight appearances without a goal for the Spanish club.

"It's actually a very good thing that he's sad, because it means he really cares about the team and the fans," teammate Kylian Mbappe said. "He needs to stay calm and be proud of who he is, because a great player always has to be proud of who he is, and regain his confidence, because he has the quality."

There were some boos at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium when Vinicius made a mistake while trying to make a pass to Jude Bellingham about halfway through the first half. Bellingham immediately applauded, as if asking for the crowd to get behind Vinicius. Parts of the crowd also chanted his name at times.

"Living every moment," Vinicius posted on Instagram after the match. "Everything passes."

Madrid teammate Antonio Rudiger was among those commenting on the post, saying: "We love you brother."

Vinicius was among the first players to be substituted by coach Jose Mourinho on Wednesday, along with Alvaro Carreras. He appeared frustrated when he learned he was coming off, but didn't react as demonstratively as he had when substituted in the Champions League game against Roma.

Mourinho's feedback

"I think Vini had a good game, he played well tactically," Mourinho told Movistar. "I don't want to say that he's sad, because it's a feeling that only he can explain whether he feels it or not, but his coach is happy."

In his post-match news conference, Mourinho added: "We can always expect more from him, for him to be decisive individually, but I'm pleased with his performance today. The change was because we have a deep bench, not because I wasn't happy with how Vinicius played."

Vinicius was back in the team after serving the first of a four-match ban in the Spanish league for pulling the hair of an opponent and for aggressively confronting the referee to contest the resultant red card.

He later said he's been targeted by the referees in Spain. He will also miss Sunday's Clasico away at league-leader Barcelona.

The 26-year-old has scored only two goals this season for both club and country, one for Madrid in the team's second league match in August, and another for Brazil in an international friendly against Australia in September.

One of Vinicius' best chances Wednesday was a long-range shot that prompted a difficult save by Leipzig goalkeeper Maarten Vandevoordt just before halftime. Vinicius also had a shot stopped by Vandevoordt near the half-hour mark in the first half.

Vinicius was involved in the buildup to Madrid's second goal, scored by Arda Guler in the 52nd minute.

Bernardo Silva had opened the scoring in the 44th for his first goal since joining Madrid this season. Silva has now scored in nine different Champions League seasons, according to UEFA. His first Champions League goal for Madrid came exactly a year after his most recent goal in the competition, for Manchester City at Villarreal on Oct 21, 2025.

Mbappe scored Madrid's third, and Yan Diomande, who replaced Vinicius in the 70th minute, netted the fourth with a nice volley.

Thibaut Courtois made a couple of key saves in the first half to keep Leipzig scoreless before halftime. The German club scored through substitute Tidiam Gomis in the 85th.

AP