“Don’t stop and push!”

Actual Madrid opened 2026 with a rout in opposition to Betis (5-1), boosted by the hat-trick of youth participant Gonzalo García, however the emotional focus on the Bernabéu as soon as once more handed by Vinicius Jr.

His efficiency left a really clear paradox: a primary stretch of the sport during which he was the staff’s most damaging attacker, particularly in his duel with Ángel Ortiz, contrasted with the whistles from a nonetheless divided stand and with the general public reprimand from Xabi Alonso in direction of the tip of the match.

With out Mbappé, Vinicius began once more as an offensive reference. And he responded from the start. Madrid’s plan shifted to the left and the Brazilian was the virtually unique supply of the imbalance within the opening half hour.

He chained one-on-one conditions in opposition to Ángel Ortiz, beat him to the again line, pressured the aspect to make repeated fouls and compelled the yellow card that may find yourself marking the youth participant’s recreation.

From a kind of actions the 1-0 was born: Ortiz’s foul on Vinicius on the aspect of the realm, Rodrygo’s service and Gonzalo’s header to open the scoring. Earlier than, the Brazilian had already fallen inside the realm in a borderline play that the referee didn’t interpret as a penalty, fueling the sensation that Betis couldn’t discover a clear approach to cease him.

Whereas that white siege by his band lasted, the Bernabéu reacted in a really totally different means than on different days. When the general public deal with system introduced the lineups, only some remoted whistles may very well be heard among the many ambient noise, removed from the clear whistle that had been suffered in opposition to Sevilla within the final recreation of 2025.

Every profitable dribble, every begin, resulted largely in applause in that first section of the match.

The afternoon started, subsequently, as what Vinicius wanted: weight within the recreation, clear superiority over his peer, the sensation that the staff discovered air when he acquired open pictures. However the script modified after the break.

Madrid relaxed at 3-0, Betis closed the hole and created a sequence of possibilities, and the Brazilian misplaced prominence because the minutes handed. Their recreation pale on the identical charge because the noise within the stands grew as a result of staff’s defensive disconnection.

In that context got here the picture that closed his afternoon. DAZN cameras captured Xabi Alonso subsequent to the band, visibly upset, demanding extra involvement with out the ball. The coach shouted at him on a number of events: “Do not cease and put stress!”, demanding that he be part of the collective back-and-forth within the midst of Madrid’s struggling.

It was not an remoted correction, however a sequence during which the coach insisted that the ‘7’ needed to take a step ahead within the excessive press and never disconnect from the block.

Shortly after, the change got here. Across the 77th minute, with 3-1 and Betis of their greatest stretch, Xabi selected to take away Vinicius and Rodrygo on the identical time to carry on Arda Güler and Mastantuono. Then the opposite thermometer of the afternoon occurred: the sound of the Bernabéu.

When the substitution was introduced, the stadium responded with a mixture of applause and whistles, however the whistles clearly prevailed in quantity. It was not unanimous, however it was intense sufficient to verify that the wound between the Brazilian and part of the stands stays unhealed.

The scene contrasted with the thunderous applause that Gonzalo received minutes later when he was replaced with the hat-trick ball under his arm, creating the feeling that the public distinguishes with great precision who they embrace and who they question at this moment in the season.

In strictly football terms, the balance of Vinicius’ day is better than what the ambient sound suggests: he was the attacker who punished the rival right-back the most, generated the action of the first goal, forced Betis to protect themselves with constant help and caused Pellegrini to replace Ángel Ortiz himself at half-time to avoid leaving him tied to a yellow card against a duel that he was clearly losing.

However, his production was once again left without a direct award. He did not score or assist and his streak without seeing a goal, between club and country, has already lasted for too many games for a player called to lead the forward when Mbappé is missing.

This absence of figures, added to recent episodes of frustration at being replaced and the permanent scrutiny of his attitude, feeds a climate in which any gesture is overstated.