Vinícius Júnior goes scoreless again for Real Madrid in Champions League as drought reaches 9 games

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

The 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 Vinícius. Parts of the crowd also chanted his name at times.

“Living every moment,” Vinícius posted on Instagram after the match. “This too shall pass.”

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

The Brazilian was among the first players to be substituted by coach José Mourinho on Wednesday, along with Alvaro Carreras. He appeared frustrated when he learned he was coming off, but did not react as demonstratively as he had when substituted in the Champions League game against Roma.

“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 Vinícius played.”

Vinícius was back in the team after serving the first of a four-game ban in the Spanish league for pulling the hair of an opponent and for aggressively confronting the referee to complain.

The Brazil forward later said he has been targeted by the referees in Spain. He will also miss next weekend's “clasico” at league-leader Barcelona.

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

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

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

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.

Mbappé scored Madrid's third goal and Yan Diomande, who replaced Vinícius in the 70th, 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 with substitute Tidiam Gomis in the 85th.

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