Real Madrid's Courtois disappointed with Mourinho's criticism of Vinícius after racism claim

MADRID (AP) — Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois was disappointed with José Mourinho’s criticism of teammate Vinícius Júnior, who accused Benfica player Gianluca Prestianni of racism.

Courtois spoke on Tuesday, a day before Madrid hosted Benfica in their Champions League playoffs second leg. Madrid's 1-0 win in Lisbon last week was overshadowed by Vinícius' allegation that Prestianni called him “monkey” after the Brazil forward scored and celebrated by the Benfica corner flag.

Prestianni denied racially insulting Vinícius while confronting him with his shirt over his mouth but was provisionally suspended for one match by UEFA and will not play Wednesday's game at Santiago Bernabeu Stadium. He and Mourinho, who is also suspended after being sent off late in the game for referee dissent, still travelled to Madrid.

Spanish media said someone yelled “racist” at Prestianni as the team arrived at its hotel.

Mourinho, a former Madrid coach, said Vinícius shouldn't have provoked Benfica fans by dancing in front of the Benfica flag to celebrate his second-half winner. The coach suggested something always happens in stadiums where Vinícius plays.

Courtois said it wasn't right to use Vinícius' celebration to justify the alleged act of racism.

“Mourinho is Mourinho, and as a coach he will defend his club and what his player told him,” Courtois said. “The only thing that disappoints me is that he used Viní's celebration. He didn't do anything wrong. He celebrated like many of our rivals have, because when they score on us, the euphoria is double or triple. But it’s over, we have to move on.”

Bayern Munich coach Vincent Kompany was among those who also criticized Mourinho for attacking Vinícius after last week’s match.

Mourinho did not speak in Benfica's news conference at the Bernabeu on Tuesday. Assistant coach João Tralhão and midfielder Fredrik Aursnes answered questions from the media but did not want to directly comment on the case related to Prestianni and Vinícius.

“Generally, I would say there should not be any room for racism anywhere," Aursnes said. "And if anybody treats anyone differently because they look different or have another skin color, it's totally unacceptable.”

Benfica has defended Prestianni, saying the Argentine player was the victim of a “defamation campaign.” It lamented that he was provisionally suspended by UEFA while an investigation remained open.

Madrid was fully behind Vinícius and coach Álvaro Arbeloa said on Tuesday that UEFA had a chance to do more against racism.

“We are facing a great opportunity to make a significant step forward in the fight against racism,” he said. "UEFA has always been a strong advocate in the fight against racism, and now they have the opportunity not to leave it as just a slogan or a nice banner before matches. I hope they seize this opportunity.”

Arbeloa added Vinícius, who has five goals in his last four matches, was “very motivated” for Wednesday's match.

“Vini has always shown great courage and character,” Arbeloa said. "I don't know how anyone else in his situation would react. He has always done so bravely, showing tremendous personality. That has always been his response and it always will be because he is a fighter. Tomorrow he will come out to fight and play a great match, showing that he is one of the best players on the planet.”

AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

Real Madrid's Vinicius Junior argues with Benfica's head coach José Mourinho after scoring the opening goal during a Champions League playoff soccer match between SL Benfica and Real Madrid in Lisbon, Portugal, Tuesday, Feb. 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Pedro Rocha)

Benfica's Gianluca Prestianni fights for the ball against Real Madrid's Vinicius Junior during a Champions League playoff soccer match between SL Benfica and Real Madrid in Lisbon, Portugal, Tuesday, Feb. 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Pedro Rocha)

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Two people were killed after a Russian drone attacked a minibus in the southern Ukrainian city of Kherson, local officials said Saturday, in the latest barrage of civilian areas, a hallmark of Moscow’s full-scale invasion of its neighbor.

Seven people were also wounded in the attack, regional head Oleksandr Prokudin said. Hours later Russia attacked another minibus in Kherson, wounding the driver, he said.

Meanwhile, along the northern border with Belarus, Ukraine recorded “rather unusual” activity on Friday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in a post on Telegram on Saturday. Without elaborating, he said activity was seen on the Belarusian side of the border and that Ukraine would act if matters escalated.

“We are closely documenting and keeping the situation under control. If necessary, we will react,” he said.

Belarus, a close ally of the Kremlin, has allowed Russia to use its territory as a staging ground to send troops into Ukraine and to host some of Moscow’s tactical nuclear weapons.

On Ukraine's Black Sea coast, a Russian strike damaged port infrastructure in the city of Odesa. No casualties were reported.

Ukrainian civilians have endured relentless air assaults since Russia launched a full-scale invasion of its neighbor more than four years ago. U.S.-brokered talks between Moscow and Kyiv over the past year have brought no respite, with Russia rejecting Ukraine’s offer of a ceasefire, and in recent weeks the Iran war has diverted international attention from Ukraine’s plight.

Meanwhile, on the roughly 1,250-kilometer (750-mile) front line, Russia claimed Saturday it had taken control of the village of Myropillia in Ukraine’s northeastern Sumy region.

It was not possible to independently verify the battlefield claims, and Ukraine did not immediately comment.

In Russia, local officials in the Krasnodar region said that a fire that broke out Friday following a Ukrainian strike on an oil terminal in the Black Sea city of Tuapse was put out on Saturday.

Ukrainian drones have hit the oil refinery and export terminal in Tuapse on four occasions in just over two weeks, sparking fires that prompted local evacuations and sent up massive plumes of smoke.

Ukraine has escalated its long-distance strikes against Russian oil facilities in an effort to slash Moscow’s oil exports, a key source of funding for its grinding invasion of Ukraine. But the economic impact is so far unclear, as the rise in oil prices from the Iran war, and a related easing of U.S. sanctions, have helped replenish the Kremlin’s coffers.

Follow AP’s coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine

FILE - In this image taken from video released by Gov. Veniamin Kondratyev's Telegram channel, smoke rises after a drone attack on the oil refinery and terminal in Tuapse, Russia, Wednesday, April 29, 2026. (Gov. Veniamin Kondratyev Telegram channel via AP, File)

In this photo provided by the Ukrainian Emergency Service, firefighters put out a fire a building following a Russian drone attack in Odesa region, Ukraine, Saturday, May 2, 2026. (Ukrainian Emergency Service via AP)

In this photo provided by the Ukrainian Emergency Service, firefighters put out a fire a building following a Russian drone attack in Odesa region, Ukraine, Saturday, May 2, 2026. (Ukrainian Emergency Service via AP)