Rodrygo scored twice to give Real Madrid a 2-1 win at Sevilla in a Spanish league match that was missing fellow-Brazilian Vinícius Júnior following the international uproar against the racial abuse he has endured.

Vinícius did not travel with the team due to what coach Carlo Ancelotti said was a knee injury that also kept him from playing midweek against Rayo Vallecano.

His absence from the field comes amid a huge uproar that has reached his native Brazil after he was racially abused by fans during last weekend’s game at Valencia.

After the match, Ancelotti said that what he considered the “good” atmosphere inside Sanchez Pizjuan Stadium meant that things may be changing for the better, even if Vinícius was not there.

“I did not hear any insults, and this is the right way. We must congratulate the spectators,” Ancelotti said.

“They supported their side and did so correctly. They jeered our players, but that is normal. I hope we can have this type of atmosphere because it is good for football. Last week is over, the atmosphere has changed, and today was a good sign. People are starting to understand what one can and cannot be done in a stadium.”

Ancelotti added that the status of Vinícius’ knee will determine whether he can participate in Madrid’s last game of the season next weekend: a home game against Athletic Bilbao. Karim Benzema and forward Marco Asensio also missed the match with an injury.

Inter’s top-4 finish

Inter Milan scored twice inside the opening four minutes but had to fight to beat Atalanta 3-2 at home on Saturday, which guaranteed them a top-four finish in Serie A.

Simone Inzaghi’s side are third in the standings with 69 points, eight ahead of Atalanta, who occupy fifth place with only one game remaining for both.

After the match, Inzaghi was full of praise for his squad.

“I am very happy, I congratulated the team because this evening was probably the most important of the last 18 (matches) in 47 days,” he told Sky Sport Italia.

Napoli forward Victor Osimhen scored in each half but the Serie A champions were held to a surprise 2-2 draw at Bologna on Sunday. Napoli missed out on the opportunity to surpass their club record of 91 points in a season, set in 2017-18, and now have 87 with one match remaining.