A clip of Vinicius Junior taking on Reece James has gone viral, dividing the opinions of supporters.
On Tuesday night, Chelsea lost 2-1 to Real Madrid in their penultimate pre-season friendly of the summer.
Lucas Vazquez and Brahim Diaz put the European champions two goals up inside half an hour at the Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, USA, before Noni Madueke pulled a goal back just before half-time
Enzo Maresca’s side couldn’t find an equalizer in the second half, ending their tour of the USA with three defeats, one draw, and one win. Though Chelsea fans aren’t overly concerned about the result—losing 2-1 to Madrid in a pre-season friendly isn’t too disheartening—one moment from the match has sparked debate on social media.
🎥A clip of Brazilian superstar Vinicius Jr
taking on Chelsea captain Reece James has gone viral on X, with fans unable to decide who won the duel.
The Madrid winger seemed to bamboozle the Chelsea full-back as he chopped inside and bore down on goal. But just as the Ballon d’Or candidate looked set to slot the ball past Chelsea goalkeeper Filip Jorgensen, James managed to get something on the ball and divert it to the keeper.
It’s hard to see from the replay, but it appears the defender also made contact with Vinicius.
A Madrid fan shared the clip with the caption “Somebody’s captain,” suggesting that Vinicius thoroughly beat James.
Another fan commented: “No right-back has ever passed Vinicius Jr test.”
Those comments puzzled Chelsea fans, who believed their captain got the better of the tricky winger.
“He still won the ball,” one fan replied, while another said: “Excellent defending. Closed down the winger, followed the ball closely, won the ball. You need glasses man.”
One fan wrote: “He literally won this duel. You overcooked.”