Vinícius Júnior reached a remarkable milestone by scoring his 100th goal for Real Madrid during the team’s emphatic 5-1 victory over Salzburg on Wednesday. This win was crucial, securing Madrid’s spot in the playoff round of the Champions League following a challenging start to the tournament this season.
According to UEFA, Vinícius’s achievements have elevated him to third place among Brazilian scorers in Champions League history, with a total of 28 goals. Neymar tops this list with 43 goals, while Kaká sits in second place with 30. Real Madrid reported that Vinícius has actually scored 101 goals for the club; however, some Spanish media sources noted a discrepancy tied to a goal in La Liga that was perceived by many as an own-goal and might not have been intended for the Brazilian forward.
Reflecting on his performance, Vinícius shared insights on his goal-scoring ability, stating, “Sometimes it’s pure instinct, sometimes there’s a little more time so I can take a glance and see things which help, like where the goalkeeper is. Goals are making me a better player. Early on here (at Real Madrid), I didn’t score so many, but now I might play the odd bad game but still score twice, and that’s a good habit to have.”
The current Champions League titleholders, who have claimed the title 15 times in total, faced challenges early in the tournament with three losses in their first six matches, putting their chances of advancing at risk.
After the match, Vinícius, who was recognized as the man of the match, praised the team’s overall performance, saying, “I truly think that tonight we produced pretty much the complete performance, because we also turned it on in the first half. But we really need to keep seeking our absolute best form so that we can keep on scoring goals and defending better as a team.”
With this victory, Real Madrid has moved up to 16th place among the 36 teams in the league phase of the competition. Coach Carlo Ancelotti acknowledged areas for improvement but was pleased with the team’s momentum, stating, “We have some things to fix but we have good momentum. The goal tonight was to win and play well. We started a bit soft but were able to improve.”
In addition to Vinícius’s standout performance, Rodrygo scored twice, and Kylian Mbappé added another goal following an error from Salzburg’s goalkeeper, Janis Blaswich. Rodrygo has been in excellent form, netting five goals in his last four matches, while Vinícius has scored three in his past two. Mbappé has also found the net five times across his last four games.
Jude Bellingham played a crucial role in setting up one of Vinícius’s goals with a stylish back-heel flick, though he exited the match in the 64th minute due to a back issue. Ancelotti, however, assured that the injury was not serious. Real Madrid is set to face French club Brest in their next match.
