Madrid [Spain], October 28 (HBTV): Real Madrid head coach Xabi Alonso said he would speak with Vinicius Junior about the player's angry reaction during their 2-1 win over arch-rival Barcelona.
In the 72nd minute of the contest, Alonso substituted Vinicius for Rodrygo as the match hung in the balance at the Santiago Bernabeu. Vinicius expressed visible frustration, pointing towards himself as if questioning the decision. He then laughed and shouted before walking past Alonso at the touchline on his way to the tunnel.
The 25-year-old later returned to the bench and was involved in a heated exchange after Real Madrid’s 2-1 victory. He appeared to remonstrate with Barcelona’s winger Lamine Yamal, who had sparked tension before the game with remarks about Madrid. Vinicius was among five players booked after the final whistle, while reserve goalkeeper Andriy Lunin received a red card.
‘I’ll focus on a lot of the positive things in the game, and good things from Vini. We’ll talk about [Vini’s reaction] of course, but I don’t want to move the spotlight away from what’s really important,’ Alonso said after the match, as quoted by ESPN.
‘We’ll talk about it, in the context of the great game it was. Vini contributed a lot. It’s an important, deserved victory ... It’s important, the feeling of being a competitive team in big games. As for the rest, we’ll talk about it,’ he added.
Alonso has left Vinicius on the bench three times despite his availability, including last week’s win over Getafe. On his return to the starting XI, Vinicius displayed flashes of brilliance, but Kylian Mbappe and Jude Bellingham scored for Real Madrid. Bellingham struck the decisive goal, marking his third match-winning strike in an El Clasico.
‘Today, against Juve [on Wednesday] and against Getafe [last weekend], in the last week he’s had three good games. Having him back [from surgery], we knew he’d need time and minutes to get going. That’s what happened, and it’s gone even better than we expected,’ Alonso said when asked about Bellingham.
(ANI)