Barcelona forward and Brazil international, Neymar Junior could face a potential ban in the La Liga after he slapped Valencia right-back, Antonio Barragan as the Catalan side slumped to yet another defeat at Nou Camp, yesterday.
A few weeks back, things looked to be in total control for Luis Enrique's men as they were on route to successfully defend their La Liga title.
However, last season's treble winners slumped to their third consecutive defeat in the Spanish league after crashing out of the UEFA Champions League following their 3-2 aggregate loss at the hands of Atletico Madrid.
As far as yesterday's match is concerned, Neymar had a really bad day at the office as he missed an easy one-on-one against the visiting side's goalkeeper, Diego Alves.
It was indeed a frustrating day at the office for the Barcelona players and it was quite evident from Neymar's antics at the end of the match.
As the Valencia players were celebrating a remarkable victory at the Nou Camp, the 24-year-old came from behind and slapped Antonio Barragan after the duo were involved in a verbal argument during the course of the game.
Barragan wasn't happy with Neymar's action and made an attempt to retaliate. However, the Valencia defender was held back by his teammates as the referee, David Fernandez Borbalan apparently missed the entire incident.
The incident was caught by the cameras and seen on television replays. You can watch the incident here – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4blW9l6Z3qQ
The Brazilian, reportedly, was also accused of throwing a water bottle at Barragan in the tunnel as both the set of players were returning to the dressing room. Neymar, however, missed Barragan with the bottle.
La Liga is wide open after Barca’s loss
Even after yesterday's loss, the Catalan side still tops the La Liga table but only on goal difference. Both Barcelona and Atletico Madrid are tied on 76 points after 33 matches. Third-placed Real Madrid also seems to close in on the top spot, as they lie one point behind their arch rivals.
However, on a brighter note for Barcelona, the 'Little Magician', Lionel Messi is back on track. The 28-year-old scored the only goal of the game for Barcelona after going through a rough patch in recent weeks.
