Real Madrid's evening at the Olimpico took a turn thanks to coach José Mourinho's substitutions, which allowed the team to overturn a 3-1 deficit against Roma. The end was a nightmare for the yellow-reds, who were overturned in a few minutes just when they seemed close to a historic result. The Spaniards showed their strength and ended the match with a 4-3 victory, after equalizing through Endrick, who entered the field at the beginning of the second half in place of Vinicius. The Brazilian was not at all happy about having to make way for his compatriot and, as he returned to the bench, openly protested to the staff members, without ever seeing the Portuguese Mourinho, who was standing in his technical area.
Vinicius protests substitution
The difficulties of this start to the season are obvious and the Champions League evening started very badly, as Vinicius received a four-match suspension in the league for the red card received against Villarreal. With Real Madrid at a 3-1 disadvantage at the “Olimpico”, the tension reached its peak, especially because the Brazilian had played quite poorly in the first half. To change the situation, Mourinho decided to intervene from the bench, replacing his striker with Endrick, who eventually scored the equalizer 3-3, before the final overthrow.
🔥 El enfado de Vinicius al ser sustituido. "¿Por qué me quita?" Parece decir el brasileño. @DissidenciaDep https://t.co/JuZE8D0yt5
— Jaime Herrero (@JaimeHerrero19) October 14, 2026
But the moment of leaving the field turned into a drama for Vinicius, who did not want to leave. When asked to return to the bench, he seemed surprised, spread his arms and then walked past his coach without greeting him or even looking him in the eye. He then expressed all his displeasure in front of the staff, demanding an explanation: “Why are you taking me off?” His frustration did not go unnoticed, but his performance in the first half does not justify his reaction. The Brazilian was a little influential, slow and disconnected from the rest of the team, which needed to stay compact in a difficult moment. In Madrid, this issue has already become a problem that needs to be solved before a worrying rift arises.
