Vinicius Jr. Scores Amidst Continued Racism Concerns as Real Madrid Falls to Osasuna

Pamplona, Spain – February 21, 2026 – Vinicius Junior scored for Real Madrid on Saturday, but the Brazilian international could not prevent his team from suffering a 2-1 defeat to Osasuna. The match was marred by alleged racist abuse directed towards Vinicius, continuing a troubling pattern of incidents targeting the forward.

Match Recap

Vinicius Jr. Equalized for Real Madrid in the 73rd minute, bringing the score to 1-1 after Ante Budimir had given Osasuna the lead with a penalty in the 38th minute. However, Raul Garcia secured the win for Osasuna with a late goal in the 90th minute. Despite the goal, it was a disappointing result for Real Madrid, who now hold a two-point lead over Barcelona in the Spanish league standings, having played one game more. Fox Sports

Racist Abuse Allegations

The match took place shortly after allegations of racist abuse were leveled against Vinicius during Real Madrid’s Champions League game against Benfica. During Saturday’s game against Osasuna, Vinicius was subjected to whistles from the home fans and chants of “Vinicius, beach ball” and “fool.” The Athletic reports that La Liga is investigating footage appearing to show Osasuna fans chanting “Vinicius, die.” Osasuna has been contacted for comment.

This is not the first time Vinicius has been targeted at El Sadar Stadium. In 2023, video footage captured an Osasuna supporter racially abusing him during a game against Madrid. A previous complaint filed by La Liga was provisionally dismissed in 2024 due to the inability to identify the perpetrator. The Athletic

UEFA Investigation

Separately, UEFA is investigating an incident from Real Madrid’s Champions League match against Benfica, where Vinicius accused Benfica’s Gianluca Prestianni of using a racial slur. Fox Sports Vinicius scored the winning goal in that match.

Impact on Title Race

Real Madrid’s loss to Osasuna hands Barcelona an opportunity to move to the top of the La Liga standings when they face Levante on Sunday. Fox Sports The defeat represents a setback for Madrid in their pursuit of the league title.

Vinicius’s Response

Following his goal, Vinicius Jr. Pointed to the name on the back of his shirt and made an “I’m here” gesture, seemingly in response to the abuse he has faced. The Athletic