‘Only one Madrid,’ says Vinicius after effigy and derby win

Vinicius Junior celebrated Real Madrid’s Copa del Rey quarter-final victory over Atletico Madrid on Thursday by hitting back after an effigy of him was hung from a bridge.

A dummy dressed in a Vinicius shirt was strung up near Real Madrid’s training ground overnight before the game with a message reading “Madrid hates Real.”

Both Real Madrid and Atletico, as well as La Liga and the Spanish football federation, spoke out about the incident.

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The 22-year-old Brazilian forward’s club described the effigy as a “disgusting act of racism, xenophobia and hatred” in a statement.

“There’s only one Madrid. We all know,” wrote Vinicius on Twitter after his side eliminated their city rivals to reach the semi-finals.

The forward drifted in and out of the match but netted at the end of extra-time to secure a 3-1 win for his team at the Santiago Bernabeu.

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“(Vinicius) controlled the match well, he really wanted to play and he had a very good game,” Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti told a news conference.

“I think the goal was his reward for his great work. What happened is very regrettable.”

© Agence France-Presse