Vinicius Jr mocks Almeria for contentious ‘handball’ goal in intense La Liga showdown

Vinicius Jr played a crucial role in Real Madrid's comeback at Santiago Bernabeu, helping them recover from a two-goal deficit against bottom-placed opponents in La Liga.

Chirag

January 22, 2024

Vinicius Junior Trolls Almeria Fans — Flor Tan Jun/Getty Images

The Brazilian sensation played a pivotal role in his La Liga team’s comeback at Santiago Bernabeu after they fell behind by two goals against the bottom-placed opponents. Vinicius Jr’s contribution, following Jude Bellingham’s penalty conversion, levelled the score on that particular day.

Real Madrid secured a historic 99th-minute victory with Dani Carvajal’s decisive goal. However, it’s Vinicius’ goal that has stirred the most controversy. Almeria contends that the South American forward used his arm to bundle the ball home, suggesting the goal should have been disallowed.

Vinicius vehemently disagrees and has shared a video to support his case, demonstrating that the ball seemingly came off his shoulder. He attributes this technique to his experiences playing on the beaches of Brazil, where he learned to use every part of his body to keep the ball off the ground and find the target. In response to the criticism, he stated, “Great goal!!! This is how I always did it on Copacabana beach.”

Having fully recovered from an injury sustained in November, Vinicius has been in fine form, scoring four goals in his last three appearances for Real Madrid. Notably, he secured a hat-trick against Barcelona in the Spanish Supercopa final, contributing to Real’s pursuit of Girona in La Liga, trailing by just one point with a game in hand.