VINICIUS Jr played out a great battle with Reece James as Real Madrid knocked Chelsea out of the Champions League – then paid his respects to him afterwards.
Vinicius, 21, ultimately came out on top when he assisted Karim Benzema for the winner.
Vinicus Jr and Reece James played out an entertaining battle at the Bernabeu Credit: Getty
Vinicius paid respect to James on Twitter after the game Credit: Reuters But he was full of respect for opponent James, who kept a tight lid on the Brazilian for most of the 120 minutes.
James, despite being booked early, was Chelsea’s star performer throughout the second leg.
Vinicius is one of Real’s most dangerous players with 17 goals and 17 assists this season – the fact James kept him quiet is a testament to his defensive ability.
After the game James wrote on Twitter: “A game full of emotions. We gave everything yesterday.
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Benzema asks James to swaps shirts with Real Madrid hero impressed by Chelsea star “Sometimes in life everything just isn’t enough. Thank you for all the support!”
And Vinicius, showing he is gracious in victory, replied saying: “Great game bro. Good luck.”
James’ performance also impressed another Real star – Benzema.
The Frenchman was so impressed with James’ display he walked over to the England star at the end of the match to hand him his Real Madrid shirt.
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James took Benzema’s shirt too as a mark of respect to the Real icon.
Benzema was the star of the tie as he hit a hat-trick at Stamford Bridge before scoring a header in extra time to put Real into a 5-4 aggregate lead in the second leg.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
