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What's the story?
Barcelona star Gerard Pique claims his teammate, Lionel Messi, had blood in his mouth after his clash with Real Madrid captain Sergio Ramos just on the brink of half time in last night's El Clasico.
In case you didn't know...
Real Madrid lost against their arch-rivals, Barcelona at the Santiago Bernabeu last night. Ivan Rakitic's goal sent Barcelona 10 points clear at the top of La Liga and 12 points ahead of their bitter rivals.
'El Clasico' is one of the biggest game in club football and there are no shortage of sparks flying as evident from the fierce rivalry between Los Blancos and the Catalan giants. Last night was no different as both the captains of Barcelona and Real Madrid squared off on the pitch.
Just before the brink of half time, Sergio Ramos went past Lionel Messi but seemed to knock the Argentine's face with his elbow, leaving the Barcelona captain covering his face on the field. Although Ramos was not punished, Messi and Barcelona players were quick to show their reaction to the referee.
The heart of the matter
Sergio Ramos was quick to deny his intention during the fiasco but his Spanish teammate, Gerard Pique, slammed him for his aggression, claiming that Leo Messi had blood in his mouth after their clash.
"Leo had blood in his mouth," said Gerard Pique on an interview as quoted by Spanish media outlet AS. "It was an aggression."
"Intensity does not have to be measured. I get along great with the Real Madrid players. But when you go out to the field you defend your colours and the rivalry is what you get."
"But once the game is over, the cordiality is mutual, the players respect us very much." added the Spanish center back.
What's next?
Real Madrid will focus on their UEFA Champions League campaign as they host Ajax in the second leg midweek but Sergio Ramos would miss their clash due to a deliberate second yellow card in the first leg.
