Vinicius and Real Madrid face whistles from fans at the Santiago Bernabeu vs Valencia | OneFootball

Real Madrid made a poor start to their La Liga game against Valencia at the Santiago Bernabeu and went into half-time 1-0 behind.

The reigning Spanish champions are trailing courtesy of an early goal from Mouctar Diakhaby. Apart from conceding the goal, the team has performed well below expectations so far, struggling to find any real momentum.

Real Madrid had an opportunity to level the scoring when Kylian Mbappe won a penalty for the team. But Vinicius Jr.’s effort was saved by Giorgi Mamardashvili, which didn’t sit well with Real Madrid supporters.

Real Madrid boo Vinicius and team

The home crowd made their frustration loud and clear as the first half progressed. Whistles rang out across the stadium, not just for the missed penalty, but for the team’s overall lethargic display.

One of the loudest reactions came when Valencia enjoyed a long spell of possession with little resistance from Ancelotti’s men.

Vinicius missed a crucial penalty in the first half (Photo by Florencia Tan Jun/Getty Images)

Vinicius, in particular, faced the brunt of it. But the boos didn’t just arise because of his missed penalty, it was about the Brazilian’s overall performance in the first half.

Indeed, Vinicius has lacked any sort of creatvity so far and has offered very little in the final third of the pitch, much to the disappointment of fans and his teammates.

That being said, Vinicius has faced similar situations before and has even managed to turn things around.

But the Brazilian managed to put the scenes behind him in and score an equaliser for his team early in the second half against Valencia.

It must be noted that securing three points will be imperative for Real Madrid if they are to keep up with Barcelona in the race for the league title, failing which, criticism could mount on the Brazilian.