Barcelona centre-back Ronald Araujo expressed his displeasure with Real Madrid winger Vinicius Junior’s on-field conduct. The Uruguayan player claimed that he advised the Brazilian to concentrate on his performance and to refrain from constantly chatting with his opponent’s supporters.
On Wednesday, April 5, the second leg of the Copa del Rey semifinals between Barcelona and Real Madrid took place at the Camp Nou. Araujo was positioned at right-back to restrict Vinicius, who opened the scoring and helped his team secure a 4-0 victory and a comeback from a 1-0 deficit from first leg. The Uruguayan defender was unable to restrain the Brazilian, and at one point during the game, they engaged in physical spat.
Araujo explains physical and verbal exchange with Real Madrid’s Vinicius Jr
Real Madrid defeated their bitter rivals 4-1 overall to snap a 3-0 losing streak against Barcelona. Once again, Araujo and Vinicius Jr faced up directly against one another, and as usual, the two were aggressive with their exchanges. By the end of the game, Vinicius was spotted making fun of Araujo and other Barça players, which prompted the defender to push the Brazilian to the ground.
Due to the minute-long skirmish that ensued, players from both teams received further yellow cards. Araujo explained what happened, making it obvious that he was defending his teammates and that he had become overcome by passion. Also, the La Masia graduate discussed the humiliating loss to Los Blancos and what lies ahead for Barça following their elimination from the Cup. He said:
“I got a little heated because he (Vinicius Jr) was talking to my teammates the entire game, taunting them. I’ve always said he is a great player who will get a lot better if he’s only focused on playing. I’m always respectful, but he was talking a lot and I got a little heated.
“I am sad because we couldn’t advance to the Final and make the supporters happy, it didn’t go well for us even though we played a great first half. But we conceded two quick goals and dropped our level too much. It’s hard to lose, even more so against your classic rival, but now we have to move on, think about Girona and the most important goal, which is La Liga.”
Nonetheless, the result will be the only thing that matters to Real Madrid after a tough game away to their biggest rivals. The Los Blancos faced a mountain to climb, but they were steadfast. Carlo Ancelotti’s men have repeatedly demonstrated that they cannot be counted out in any situation as they demonstrated it at Camp Nou.
Real Madrid still have a lot to play for even though the La Liga title chase is all but over for them after falling behind by 12 points to the Catalans. The Champions League appears to be winnable, and they are in the Copa del Rey final where they will face Osasuna on May 6. Meanwhile, a two-legged affair against Chelsea in the Champions League quarterfinals awaits Real Madrid this month.