Real Madrid’s 2-1 victory over Barcelona in Sunday’s El Clasico ended in heated scenes, with Spain internationals Dani Carvajal and Lamine Yamal clashing visibly after the final whistle.
Yamal appeared to be the main focus of Madrid players’ frustration, with multiple Los Blancos stars surrounding the teenager during a post-match confrontation.
According to Frenkie de Jong, Madrid’s reaction towards the Barcelona prodigy was “exaggerated.”
The match, held at the Santiago Bernabéu, was full of emotion and intensity from start to finish. Real Madrid secured a vital win thanks to goals from Kylian Mbappe and Jude Bellingham, while Barça’s only strike came from Fermin Lopez, assisted by Marcus Rashford.
Mbappe also missed from the penalty spot, and Real recorded 21 shots compared to Barcelona’s 13, a dominant showing after losing all previous meetings with Barcelona during the 2024–25 campaign.
As soon as the referee signalled full time, tensions erupted. In the centre circle, Carvajal was seen confronting Yamal, reportedly telling him, “You speak too much. Speak now.” Yamal attempted to respond but was restrained by his Barcelona teammates.
Frenkie de Jong, who was on the bench during the incident, spoke out afterward: “When the whistle blew, Real Madrid players went after Lamine. It’s a bit exaggerated. You’d have to ask them. If Carvajal wanted to speak with Lamine, call him or text him. You’re team-mates; you know each other. Why do you have to make a scene on the pitch?”
The background to the confrontation appeared to stem from comments made by Yamal days earlier on Twitch, where he was heard saying of Real Madrid: “Yes, of course, they steal, they complain…” When asked again by host Ibai Llanos, Yamal added: “Well, let’s see, let’s see.”
Spanish outlet Marca reported that these remarks were not well received in the Madrid dressing room, and Carvajal had been planning to address them face to face.
When asked about the controversy, Real Madrid boss Xabi Alonso dismissed the chatter: “I’m not going to get into that. There are a lot of statements coming from people in Barcelona, and I can’t comment on all of them. For us, what matters is on the grass, what happens on the field.”
The match’s dramatic ending was further inflamed when Pedri received a second yellow card for a tackle on Aurelien Tchouameni, resulting in his dismissal.
As Pedri exited, players from both sides pushed and argued in a chaotic brawl near the technical area. Jude Bellingham, who had already been substituted, became involved in heated exchanges before being led away, while Vinicius Jr remained at the center of the scuffle.
Referees eventually restored order, issuing additional yellow cards to Alejandro Balde and Real Madrid goalkeeper Andriy Lunin.
Barcelona will now be without Pedri due to suspension for their November 2 fixture against Elche, though head coach Hansi Flick is set to return to the dugout after serving his own ban. Real Madrid, meanwhile, continue their league campaign against Valencia on November 1.
‘You need to grow up’
Netizens slammed Yamal over his behaviour. A user noted, “Lamine Yamal went after Courtois because he couldn’t get anywhere near him during the game.” “Lamine Yamal needs to understand that he’s not Cristiano Ronaldo, not everyone can walk the talk,” claimed a netizen.
“LETS ALL LAUGH AT LAMINE YAMAL,” noted another. “I feel he is single handedly making himself have a lot of haters. The kid is talented and hope he comes back good,” added a user. “Go back to school little boy,” slammed another. “When a kid, who hasn’t even fully stepped out of his shell yet, starts acting like he’s Ronaldo or Messi—just because his club keeps overhyping him to stay relevant in the headlines—it’s natural for senior pros who’ve genuinely achieved something to feel disrespected,” noted a netizen.
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