A fiery exchange between Diego Simeone and Vinicius Junior marred Real Madrid’s 2-1 win over Atletico Madrid in the Supercopa de Espana semi-final. The Madrid derby is often a feisty affair and that was the case tonight in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Federico Valverde gave Xabi Alonso’s men the lead with a phenomenal free-kick in the first minute. Rodrygo made it two-nil in the 55th minute with a tidy finish before Alexander Sorloth gave Atleti hope when he found the net in the 58th minute.
But it was an incident that occurred in the 81st minute when Vinicius was substituted by Alonso. Simeone provoked the Brazilian attacker with comments that led to a melee between the two benches.
Real Madrid 2-1 Atletico Madrid: Simeone and Vinicius Lock Horns
Vinicius lost his head after coming off and looked upset as Antonio Rudiger tried to calm him down. Alonso and his backroom staff were also enraged as tempers flared in the Supercopa semi-final.
Simeone is believed to have teased the 25-year-old by suggesting Madrid president Florentino Perez will sell him (via Tiempo de Juego):
“Vini, Vini, Florentino Perez will kick you out.”
Vinicius has endured a frustrating season, going 18 games without finding the net. He was booked for his part in the spat with Simeone, whose comments came during a period of uncertainty over the winger’s future.
The Brazil international’s contract is up in the summer of 2027, and there has been talk of a possible exit. GIVEMESPORT news learned in November that he wasn’t prepared to extend his deal amid a “strained relationship” with Alonso.
They look to be back on good terms as Alonso backed Vinicius to come good ahead of tonight’s game. He also had his back after seeing the player upset by Simeone’s remarks.
Vinicius didn’t take long to hit back at Simeone, taking to Instagram to mock the Argentine coach. He wrote in response to their touchline exchange:
“He has lost another qualifier match.”
Simeone has been in charge at Atleti since 2011 and is the longest-reigning manager in La Liga but there have been some question marks over his future. His side look unlikely to be competing for the title given they sit fourth in the table, 16 points behind leaders Barcelona.
Madrid are still in the title picture and trail Barca by four points after 19 games. They meet their El Clasico rivals on Sunday in the Supercopa final with Alonso one win away from his first major trophy as Los Blancos boss.
