“It’s really unfortunate, you’re out of the Copa del Rey” - Real Madrid star Vini Jr's cheeky comment to Barcelona star caught on camera
Real Madrid star Vinicius Junior was filmed on camera whilst making a cheeky comment to Barcelona's Gavi in the second leg of the Copa del Rey semifinal on 5 April.
The Brazil international scored the opening goal in the second leg and provided two assists as Los Blancos overturned a 1-0 first-leg deficit to win 4-1 on aggregate. He even found time to remind his counterpart that Barcelona were headed towards elimination.
Vinicius was being marked by Gavi on a set piece when the former was pictured saying 'Estas fuera de la Copa del Rey'. It translates to (h/t @MadridXtra on Twitter):
"It’s really unfortunate, you’re out of the Copa del Rey."
Vinicius isn't a player opponents would want to come up against. Apart from his blistering pace and commendable dribbling ability, he also has an edge to his game that opposing defenders may not be a fan of.
Karim Benzema laid out an assist to Vinicius to get the scoring underway in first-half stoppage time. The Frenchman then scored a second-half hat-trick to wrap up the 4-0 scoreline in the 80th minute.
Real Madrid will now take on Osasuna in the Copa del Rey final on May 6. Despite trailing league-leaders Barcelona by 12 points after 27 games, Los Merengues can still end the season with two more trophies. They have a two-legged UEFA Champions League quarterfinal clash against Chelsea later this month.
Carlo Ancelotti's team started the season in superb fashion, winning the UEFA Super Cup against Eintracht Frankfurt in August. They added another trophy to their cabinet when they won the FIFA Club World Cup in February this year.
Xavi tells Barcelona players to focus on 'more important' La Liga after Real Madrid defeat
Xavi has asked Barcelona players to shift their focus to La Liga after their 4-0 thrashing at the hands of Real Madrid.
According to the Spanish tactician, the league title is a more important trophy than the Copa del Rey. Hardly anyone can argue with that, but the timing and the wording of his statement could make it seem like a case of sour grapes, especially to rival fans.
Xavi said after the full-time whistle at Spotify Camp Nou (h/t GOAL):
"We have to focus on La Liga now, which is a more important competition than the Copa del Rey. We have 11 finals left in the league."
Barcelona have 71 points from 27 games and can break the record for most points in a La Liga season if they win at least 10 of their remaining 11 games. The current record lies with both Real Madrid and Barca (100 points).