Vinicius Jr grateful to Valverde after decisive penalty in Manchester City win

Vinicius Jr scored twice to fire Real Madrid to a 2-1 victory over Manchester City in the second leg of their 2025/26 Champions League Round of 16 tie, sealing a 5-1 aggregate triumph for Los Blancos.

Speaking afterwards, he revealed there was a brief discussion over who would take his successful spot-kick at the Etihad.

“My penalty? I offered it to Valverde, but he said he wanted me to take it again. I thank him for the confidence,” Vini Jr told Movistar+, referencing his previous miss from the spot in the first leg. “I was disappointed I missed the penalty last game, but today, I managed to score it. I’m very happy about that.”

The Brazilian forward also highlighted how important the performance felt for Madrid’s season. “This was a VERY important game for us. We’ve been very inconsistent this season, but over this tie, we proved we can control the game against an elite opponent,” he added.

With his brace and renewed confidence from the spot, Vinicius continues to establish himself as Real Madrid’s leading attacking reference in Europe.
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