Vinicius Jr missed his second penalty in less than a month as LaLiga champions Real Madrid were shocked at home by Valencia 2-1 on Saturday, leaving the door open for rivals Barcelona to extend their lead on top of the LaLiga standings.
Madrid's two superstar forwards, as well as defender Antonio Rudiger and midfielder Dani Ceballos, face potential punishment ahead of their quarter-final first leg clash at Arsenal on April 8.
“We have to rethink everything we’ve been doing, because the demands will come; the people want us to win,” he said.
Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Junior were both on target for Real Madrid as they beat Rayo Vallecano 2-1 on Sunday to pull level with La Liga leaders Barcelona.
A couple of moments of magic from Rodrygo and Brahim Diaz helped Real Madrid edge city rivals Atletico Madrid 2-1 in the first leg of the last 16 Champions League encounter between the sides at the Santiago Bernabeu on Wednesday.
Despite the Brazil forward's current contract running to the end of the 2026-27 season, the Spanish champions contacted the player's agents last month to rework his deal and put an end to the Saudi interest that has rumbled on for over a year.
Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti vehemently defended his sides’ decision to boycott the Ballon d’Or award ceremony last year in protest of Vinicius Jr’s snub and said that Rodri, who edged out Vinicius for the award, should have won the prize a year earlier instead of Lionel Messi.
Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti quashed rumours regarding the future of star forward Vinicius Junior on Friday, saying the Brazilian is committed to staying with the reigning European and Spanish champions.
Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti on Wednesday demanded a rapid reaction from his team after their capitulation against rivals Barcelona in the Spanish Super Cup final.
Coming up against Uruguay, the standout performers of this Copa America so far, Brazil, missing their key player Vinicius Jr, will have a lot to fix in this heavyweight quarterfinal clash at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas on Sunday morning.
Brazil and Argentina have expectedly reached the quarterfinals of the Copa America 2024. The Selecao have a relatively more difficult road to the finale as they will face Uruguay in the last eight, whereas the Albiceleste will square off against Ecuador.
In a frantic first fifteen minutes at Levi's Stadium, Vinicius Jr was shown a yellow card while tussling over a loose ball, a booking which rules the winger out of the Uruguay match.
Even in Brazil's Copa America opener this year - a goalless draw against Costa Rica - Vinicius ended up being substituted halfway through the second half after not managing a single scoring attempt. After that, Brazil manager Dorival Jr changed tack and that decision paid back in a major way.
Vinicius terrorised Paraguay's defence with his pace and trickery as he scored two goals in an impressive display, a far cry from his performance in Brazil's 0-0 draw with Costa Rica in their opening group stage match, in which he was largely ineffectual.
Brazil's Vinicius Junior scored twice in his side's 4-1 Copa America victory over Paraguay in a Group D clash at Allegiant Stadium in Nevada on Saturday, bouncing back from a lacklustre display in his first game of the tournament.
Brazil's poor performance in their goalless draw against Costa Rica in their Copa America opener on Monday has dampened the enthusiasm surrounding their new manager and a revamped squad headlined by Vinicius Jr.
Brazil open their 2024 Copa America campaign against Costa Rica on Monday in Los Angeles with a whole new look almost from top to bottom, with Real Madrid's rising star Vinicius Jr leading a group that were waiting for an opportunity for a fresh start.
Brazil has an embarrassment of riches in this category, but the feature man is Vinicius Jr., who some believe is the current best player in the world after leading Real Madrid to yet another Champions League title.
"This first criminal conviction in Spanish history is not for me. It's for all black people," the Real Madrid and Brazil attacker posted on social media.
