Real Madrid suffered a painful 4-3 loss to Barcelona in last weekend’s intense El Clásico, despite initially taking a two-goal lead. ..Continue Reading
Kylian Mbappé struck twice early on, netting in the fifth minute before doubling Madrid’s advantage just nine minutes later.
However, Barcelona responded, with Eric García reducing the deficit before Lamine Yamal curled in a brilliant equalizer.
Raphinha then scored twice to put Barça 4-2 ahead, though Mbappé completed his hat-trick to bring Madrid within one goal.
The victory pushed Barcelona closer to securing this season’s La Liga title, widening their lead over Madrid to seven points.
It has been a disappointing season for Real, who were also defeated by Barcelona in last month’s Copa del Rey final and eliminated from the Champions League by Arsenal.
Tensions within the squad were further highlighted by a viral clip showing Courtois and Vinícius Júnior during Sunday’s frustrating defeat.
In the footage, Vinícius intercepts the ball from Frenkie de Jong and quickly takes a free-kick. However, his misplaced pass lands straight at Lamine Yamal’s feet, forcing Courtois into action.
The Belgian goalkeeper didn’t hide his frustration, appearing to shout at Vinícius Júnior in anger, reportedly saying ‘p*ta madre.’
Courtois, who has played 46 matches across all competitions this season, has been outspoken about the team’s struggles, even criticizing his teammates after their loss to Arsenal.
Following the defeat to Barcelona, Carlo Ancelotti—who has now been confirmed as Brazil’s next head coach—acknowledged the team’s errors, stating: “We made many mistakes that cost us the game.”
“Don’t forget we were missing five defenders,” he added. “We competed; it was an equal game until the end.”
Real have three league matches to navigate before participating in this summer’s Club World Cup, which takes place in the United States.
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