Real Madrid breathed a sigh of relief after manager Carlo Ancelotti confirmed that star winger Vinicius Jr only suffered a minor knock during their rampant 4-2 win over UD Almeria on Saturday.
The 22-year-old Brazilian enjoyed another scintillating performance, providing an assist and winning a penalty as Los Blancos cruised to an emphatic victory thanks to Karim Benzema’s hat-trick and a goal from Rodrygo.
However, there were a couple of concerns for the Spanish giants emerging from the contest. For starters, both Vinicius and midfielder Eduardo Camavinga will miss the next La Liga clash against Real Sociedad after accumulating yellow cards.
On top of that, Ancelotti revealed Vinicius picked up a knock to his knee during the game which led to him being substituted late on. “Vinicius suffered a hit to his knee, but it is nothing serious. He will be ready for the Copa Del Rey final,” Ancelotti said.
The news comes as a relief for Madrid who are already without the services of Luka Modric for the Copa del Rey showdown against Osasuna on May 6.
Vinicius Jr Escapes Serious Injury After Knock
While the knock isn’t serious, Vinicius has plenty of time to recover as he is suspended for the Sociedad game anyway.
Talking about Vinicius’ booking for disputing a foul on him, Ancelotti said: “The reality is that Vinicius protests, he is always fouled and protests. The reality is that he has 10 yellow cards and his opponents have had far fewer.”
On his anger after Madrid conceded twice, Ancelotti admitted: “It was relaxation, when it looked like the game was over we relaxed with the 3-0 and the 4-1, this is a wake-up call for us, you can’t lower the level because if you lower it you concede goals”.
Madrid remain in second place, eleven points adrift of Barcelona, but at least Benzema is in red-hot goalscoring form ahead of their Champions League semi-final with Manchester City and the Copa del Rey final.
Saturday’s win will have eased Ancelotti’s concerns about his team lacking motivation for league games after their shock 4-2 loss at Girona in midweek.
