Author: Barkha Roy
Amid Real Madrid’s 4-0 thrashing of Barcelona in the second leg of the Copa del Rey semi-final, in which Vinicius Junior starred for the visitors, Barcelona defender Ronald Araujo criticized the winger’s behaviour on the pitch.
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/72153050/1250803672.0.jpg)
The Uruguayan expressed his disappointment with the Brazilian’s antics on the pitch and asked him to concentrate on his game, rather than annoying the opposition’s fans with continuous conversations.
With Vinícius first scoring the first goal of the game and then providing the assist for Benzema’s first goal, the youngster was subjected to harsh treatment after frequent fights with home players.
The Real Madrid striker was seen for the first time having a heated argument with Gavi and Ferran Torres, while also annoying the Barcelona fans with his exuberant celebrations. In the final minutes of the game, the Brazilian was brought down by Araujo after the full-back annoyed him, resulting in a yellow card for the Uruguayan.
Speaking after the defeat, the Barcelona defender said (to Mundo Deportivo) “Vinícius is a great player, but he needs to focus on playing. I always try to respect my opponents, but I got a bit heated. Vinicius spent the whole game talking to the fans. He needs to concentrate on soccer.“
Araujo and Vinicius’ conflict on the pitch has been one of the talking points of the games in recent Clasicos, with each player enjoying equal success. To contain Vinícius’ threat, the Uruguayan defender was moved to the right-back position by Barça coach Xavi and had tremendous success in calming the Brazilian down. However, Vinicius triumphed last night with a brilliant performance to take his team to the Copa del Rey final.
Vinicius had a productive season with Real Madrid, scoring 20 goals and 14 assists. Striker Karim Benzema, who scored a hat-trick in Real Madrid’s win over Barcelona, had an exceptional touch alongside him.
Barcelona currently have a 12-point lead in the Spanish top flight. Meanwhile, Real Madrid will face Chelsea in the quarter-finals of the Champions League and will also face Osasuna in the Copa del Rey final.