What’s the story?
El Clasico was a feisty affair and it brought out the worst in Real Madrid defender Dani Carvajal who taunted Barcelona striker Luis Suarez during the game. In a tense atmosphere at the Santiago Bernabeu on Sunday night, a number of players resorted to trash talking and Carvajal was no different.
According to lip readers who analyse every other game in La Liga to figure out what the players said on the pitch – especially in the heat of the moment – Carvajal had allegedly teased Suarez over their 3-0 aggregate loss to Juventus in the Champions League. He then claimed that the Bernabeu was the ‘home of the champions’.
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“You lost 3-0 to Juventus. Go and rest for the Copa del Rey [final] and watch the Champions League at home. This is the home of the champions!”
In case you didn’t know...
Barcelona beat Real Madrid 3-2 in the Clasico and it saw the Catalan club move to the top of the Spanish La Liga table – for the time being. Both teams are on 75 points but Los Blancos have a game in hand.
Sergio Ramos had been sent off with the score reading 2-1 in Barcelona’s favour but substitute James Rodriguez had scored an equaliser in the 85th minute. However, Lionel Messi scored the winner in injury time to seal the win and three points with what was effectively the last kick of the game. It was also his 500th goal in a Barcelona shirt.
The heart of the matter
Most viewers do not get to see such banter between the players on the live feed but it is recorded by cameras all around the stadium. It is no wonder then that we almost always see players in La Liga speak to each other by covering their mouth to literally prevent experts from reading their lips.
While Carvajal tried to rub Suarez the wrong way with the Juventus jibe, what he did not realise is that Suarez cannot play a part in the Copa del Rey final against Alaves at the end of the season. The Uruguayan striker was sent off against Atletico Madrid when he threw his arm at Koke to get a second booking (the first booking was for a foul on Juanfran).
But the Madrid defender’s plan to rile up the Barcelona man backfired spectacularly as it was Suarez who had the last laugh following the final whistle. Ivan Rakitic had even come between them to avoid any further incidents that could have led to potential bookings or even red cards.
What’s next?
Real Madrid still have a game in hand and hold the advantage in the title race. However, when comparing the fixture list, it is Barcelona who probably have a better chance of winning the title if results go their way. Zinedine Zidane’s side are in the Champions League semi-finals and the extra game could lead to fixture congestion as they look to finish all their games by 21 May.
Also read: Real Madrid or Barcelona - which team has tougher fixtures in the title race?
Author’s take
Players having a go at each other is a regular occurrence in football. We all saw the exchange between Gerard Pique and Sergio Ramos when the latter was sent off. In a high tension game, tempers are bound to flare up and the pressure cooker that is El Clasico probably brings out the worst in players.
But Carvajal should probably have kept his mouth shut until the end of the game. We all know that saying about karma and Carvajal was given a very important lesson – one that could bite him at the end of the season if Real Madrid fail to win the title.
