“Spent the whole game talking to the crowd” - Barcelona superstar slams Real Madrid attacker Vinicius Jr and tells him to 'focus on football'
FC Barcelona defender Ronald Araujo has expressed his disappointment over Real Madrid attacker Vinicius Junior's behavior on the pitch. The Uruguayan international said he told the Brazilian to focus on his game and advised him not to rile up the opposition's fans with continuous chatter.
Araujo was deployed at right-back to contain Vinicius, who scored the opener and went on to help his team clinch a 4-0 victory in the second leg of the Copa del Rey semifinals on Wednesday, April 5. Araujo wasn't able to keep the Brazilian quiet, and got into a physical altercation with him at one point in the game.
Real Madrid sealed a 4-1 win aggregate win over their arch-rivals to end their 3-0 losing streak against Barcelona. They will now face Osasuna in the final on May 6.
After the match, Araujo spoke about Vinicius's behavior on the pitch, suggesting that he was spending too much time talking to the crowd and his opponents instead of focusing on the game.
"Vinicius is a great player but he needs to focus on playing," he said. "I always try to respect my opponents, but I got a little heated. Vinicius spent the whole game talking to the crowd. He needs to focus on football."
🗣️ Araujo: "Vinicius is a great player but he needs to focus on playing. I always try to respect my opponents, but I got a little heated." https://t.co/KiSRUtTVsq
Vinicius has scored 20 goals and provided 14 more assists this season for another successful season with Los Blancos. He was in great sync with Madrid striker Karim Benzema, who scored a hat-trick in Madrid's win over Barca.
Barcelona are on track to win the Spanish top-flight title with a 12-point lead at the top of the table. Meanwhile, defending champions Real Madrid will lead the charge against Chelsea in the Champions League quarterfinals.
Araujo remains positive despite Barcelona's Clasico defeat against Real Madrid in Copa del Rey semifinals
Ronald Araujo also shared his thoughts on Barcelona's 4-0 loss to Real Madrid in the Copa del Rey semifinal on Thursday, April 6. Araujo is determined to move on and focus on their upcoming matches. He acknowledged that Barca did not perform well, but said they need to "brush the defeat off" and concentrate on their next game against Girona in La Liga.
Losing to their rivals was hard, but the defender stressed the importance of staying positive and looking ahead to future challenges. He said:
"We didn't do well despite the fact that we had a great first half, but we conceded that goal, and then after the second, we declined a lot," he said. "It's hard to lose, and even more so for Barca to their Clasico rival. But we need to brush the defeat off and think about Girona on Monday, or rather the most important objective, La Liga."