Barcelona defender Ronald Araujo has admitted that he lost his temper during their El Clasico defeat, but did also have a word of advice for his direct opponent, Vinicius Junior.
The Blaugrana defender has had the better of the Brazilian in recent matches, but Vinicius won the battle on Wednesday night, scoring and assisting.
As Vinicius went off, he could be seen shouting at Araujo, who returned the favour. It led to the pair squaring up, and a melee ensued.
Speaking to Teledeporte after the match (via Diario AS), Araujo explained he wanted to see less of Vinicius’ antics.
“I got a little hot because I was talking to people all the time. He’s a great player, but he has to concentrate on playing. If he dedicates himself only to that, he will be better. I always try to respect everyone, he’s a great player, I’ve always said it, but today I got a little hot because he didn’t stop talking to people, looking at everyone…”.
On the game more generally, he admitted that Barcelona did not keep their concentration after they conceded early in the second period.
“We are sad. We wanted to go for one more title, but in the second half we went down a lot after the 0-2 loss. The first [half] was remarkable, but they scored against [the run of play]. It’s time to get up and go for the League, which is the most important.”
The battle between Vinicius and Araujo is set to be one of the best in football for many years to come, should they both remain where they are. The Uruguayan has defended Vinicius in the past, but seemingly the Brazilian won both the mental battle and the one on the pitch on Wednesday.
“The Uruguayan has defended Vinicius in the past”
Uh Vini has still a positive head to head vs him 4-3 in wins.
You were trying to say that Vini has dribbled past aurajo successfuly in past?