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Real Madrid right-back Daniel Carvajal and Barcelona coach Xavi were involved in a verbal altercation during Thursday's (2 March) El Clasico, Spanish outlet Marca reported.
Eder Militao’s 26th-minute own goal inflicted a 1-0 defeat upon Real Madrid in the first leg of their Copa del Rey semi-final clash with Barcelona on Thursday. As expected, the encounter between two of Spain’s bitterest rivals was fierce, with plenty of rough challenges and verbal exchanges taking place across the pitch.
Barca boss Xavi and Madrid defender Carvajal were involved in one such exchange in the second half. As reported by Marca, the incident began shortly after Carvajal’s tackle on Alejandro Balde near Xavi’s technical area. The Barca legend got involved and took a jibe at Carvajal, ironically saying:
"You're smart."
According to Marca, Xavi then went on to call Carvajal “silly” a couple of times during the altercation. Gesturing with his hands to keep talking, Xavi reportedly told Carvajal:
"Silly, you're a fool."
The Real Madrid stalwart also responded to the Barcelona coach’s insults, but the cameras could not catch his retorts. Referee Munuera Montero eventually intervened and asked Xavi to calm down, showing him a yellow card.
Barcelona coach Xavi hails his team’s “extraordinary” defensive display in win over Real Madrid
The Blaugrana secured a hard-fought 1-0 win over Los Blancos on Thursday to put themselves in an advantageous position in the Copa del Rey semi-final. Although the result went in Barca’s favor, it was Madrid who dominated the proceedings, enjoying 65% of the ball. The Catalans uncharacteristically sat deep and frustrated Madrid by defending in numbers.
In a post-match press conference, Xavi admitted that his team could not do anything of note on the ball, but lauded them for their flawless defending.
“We played well without the ball, but not with the ball. We didn’t know what to do with the ball,” Xavi said.
“We were extraordinary at the back though, and that should be valued. It’s part of the game. I think today we were exceptional and we have to evaluate that positively.”
Real Madrid dispatched 13 shots in Thursday’s clash against Barcelona, with none of them landing on target. The Catalans, on the other hand, had two on-target shots off only four attempts.
