Lamine Yamal was the subject of Dani Carvajal’s angry attention following Sunday’s Clasico encounter between Barcelona and Real Madrid.
Los Blancos won the fiercely contested game at the Santiago Bernabeu to inflict Barca’s second La Liga defeat of the season, after which Carvajal had the last laugh by making clear his opinion on Yamal’s pre-match behaviour.
Real Madrid stars were riled up before the eagerly-anticipated grudge match when Yamal had suggested during a YouTube appearance that Los Blancos “rob, complain and do things” to win in nefarious ways.
When Jude Bellingham later posted on Instagram following his team’s win, the England international’s “Talk is cheap” caption was clearly aimed at Yamal.
As soon as the game finished, Carvajal had let Yamal know exactly his thoughts.
The veteran Real Madrid captain, the teenager’s Spain international colleague, raced over and made an unmistakable talking gesture with his hand.
Marcus Rashford was trying to shake hands with Carvajal, who was dead set on targeting Yamal, who wanted to react to the confrontation but was held back by Eduardo Camavinga and further dragged away by team-mate Marc Casado.
El Clasico descends into post-match brawl
But Casado’s intervention did little to end the brewing tension.
Thibaut Courtois then raced over to Yamal to get in the teenager’s face, prompting a Barcelona contingent led by Frenkie de Jong and Jules Kounde to jump in and protect their young comrade.
Yamal managed to escape the situation as pushing and shoving ensued, and was removed by a club official, as others tried to restore peace.
Vinicius Junior is alleged to have goaded Yamal during the game about Barcelona’s struggles to get going creatively: “Nothing but back passes, huh? Just passing it back to the defenders.”
Meanwhile, De Jong said of his brawl involvement: “I didn’t see what happened.
“I was on the bench and saw a lot of people [rush over].
“Then the referee blew his whistle, Real Madrid players went after Lamine.
“It’s a bit exaggerated. You’d have to ask them.
“In the first half, we weren’t sharp with the ball. Madrid hurt with their players up front.
“In the second half, we lacked the ability to create danger and clear chances.
“If Carvajal wanted to speak with Lamine, call him or text him.
“You’re [Spain] team-mates, you know each other. Why do you have to make a scene on the pitch?”
Barcelona assistant coach Marcus Sorg defended Yamal:
“It wasn’t easy for him today.
“We spoke at half-time, we told him we needed him one-on-one, but he didn’t have many chances.
“They defended well, they tried everything to stop him, and we have to accept that.
“He was fine, but the injury he sustained [earlier in the season] was serious, and he needs more games to be at his best.
“We have to give him time and help him, together, so he can get back to his best.
“The opponents were looking for Lamine and creating two-on-ones to stop him from going inside the box or finishing.
“He’s young and needs to improve, and we’ll help him.
“Maybe the atmosphere at the Bernabeu affected him; he’s also learning from everything it creates.
“He’s very motivated and played well. But it wasn’t an easy game for him.”
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Barcelona need to respond
Barcelona have been beaten twice in their last three La Liga outings, leaving Hansi Flick’s reigning champions five points adrift of an in-form Real Madrid in the early stages of another title race.
Next up is what ought to be a home banker against Elche on November 2, after which attention then turns to the Champions League for a trip to Belgium to face Club Brugge.
This current block of fixtures before the next international break concludes on November 9 with Celta Vigo away.
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