Vinicius Jr
Vinicius Jr

Fans have argued that Vinicius Junior ‘executed a suplex’ on Frenkie de Jong during Barcelona’s 1-0 Copa del Rey semi-final first leg victory against Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu. The two stars had an altercation during the 23rd minute wherein it appeared as if Vinicius Junior lift the Barca midfielder and brought him down to the ground. While the referee booked the Brazilian for committing a foul, some fans disputed the decision in favour of the Real Madrid star.

Carlo Ancelotti’s team played host to fierce rivals Barcelona, and as usual, there was no love lost between the two teams. Vinicius Junior and De Jong’s literal fight  midway through the first half marked the game’s first significant flashpoint. Moreover, De Jong’s hand looked to unintentionally grab at the winger’s groin area in the replays as the two wrestled for the ball.

Vinicius Junior
Vinicius Junior was eventually booked for his foul on Frenkie de Jong during the two sides’ heated clash in the Copa del Rey semifinal first leg. Credits: Twitter

Punches blown between Vinicius Junior and De Jong in feisty El Clasico clash

While De Jong appeared to have unintentionally hit Vinicius Junior’s groin area, the Brazilian retaliated by punching his Dutch opponent, which several fans comparing it to a WWE move. Despite replays seemed to show that both the players were equally involved in the physical altercation, it was the Real Madrid star who was flashed a yellow card at. The fans had some amusing as well as perplexed reactions to the fight between the two players.

Both teams were vying for an advantage, with Real Madrid believing Karim Benzema had given them the upper hand after he put the ball into the back of the net in the 12th minute. However, the home side’s joy was short lived as the Frenchman’s magnificent effort was later disallowed for offside. Barcelona eventually broke the deadlock 14 minutes later when Eder Militao turned the ball into the back of his own net.

Franck Kessie was close to giving Barcelona a 2-0 lead in the second half, only for his own teammate Ansu Fati to block the shot from going in. Late in the game, tensions remained high, and Barcelona manager Xavi was penalised during stoppage time for objecting to the fourth official. He didn’t need to worry, though, as his team held steady in the face of a late attack from Real Madrid to advance 1-0 to the home leg.