Vinicius Jr. and Kylian Mbappe were simply on fire as Real Madrid secured a hard-fought 4-3 win over Olympiacos.
In a game where the defence looked all over the place, the attackers had to step up and Vinicius surely did, as he notably provided two assists on the night.
The Brazilian international was an absolute nightmare for Olympiacos defender Rodinei, who heaped praise on his fellow countryman after the game.
Rodinei on Vinicius’ performance vs Olympiacos
Rodinei explained how Vinicius backed himself to perform on the flanks and was too hot to handle for the Olympiacos defenders, including himself.
“Vinicius? In games like these, when he is loose, light, in full flow, I couldn’t even give him a kick, he’s too fast,” he said (h/t O Globo).
Vinicius was indeed a live wire and this performance will serve as a major relief for the attacker, who was coming on the back of zero goal involvements in the last six matches.
Xabi Alonso, Head Coach of Real Madrid, with Vinicius Junior
Rodinei in awe of Vinicius’ performance vs Olympiacos. (Photo by Carl Recine/Getty Images)
Only thing that was left for him to do was to score against Olympiacos and extend Real Madrid’s lead.
But Rodinei believes the forward had a great game regardless, as he went on to hail the Brazilian as the best in the world.
“Congratulations to him. For me, he is the best in the world. It’s an honour to play against him,” he added.
Vinicius’ resurgent performance comes at a time when there have been reports that he is unhappy with coach Xabi Alonso.
However, it appears that the two may have now buried the hatchet, with the Brazilian now even said to be open to renewing his contract after having been hesitant in the recent past.