Aurélien Tchouaméni has admitted Real Madrid took extra inspiration from Lamine Yamal’s prematch taunts ahead of Sunday’s victory over Barcelona.
In the buildup to El Clásico, Yamal attracted plenty of fury when he accused Madrid of “stealing and complaining” in regards to refereeing decisions. Reports claimed Xabi Alonso’s squad had not taken kindly to the comments from Yamal, who aimed one final swipe at Madrid shortly before the game.
It was Los Blancos who had the last laugh, however. A confident 2–1 victory ended a run of four straight defeats against their fiercest rivals,
The match ended in an on-field brawl sparked initially by a confrontation between Yamal and Madrid’s Dani Carvajal, after which Jude Bellingham appeared to aim a dig at the Barcelona winger on social media.
“I like that,” Tchouaméni said of Yamal’s taunts. “At the end of the game, we saw a little bit of a thing between the players. We helped each other compete.
“When I was little, I saw those things against Barcelona and we were calm. I like it. They’re just words, there’s no bad intention. His determination helped us a little more.
“I liked [Carvajal’s actions]. If Lamine wants to talk, there’s no problem. The game is played on the pitch, and we won. We’re very happy with our performance and we’re looking forward.”
‘Lack of Maturity’ Cost Yamal
Unsurprisingly, the incident was a key talking point after the final whistle. Former Barcelona midfielder Rafinha echoed Tchouaméni’s thoughts as he accused Yamal of unnecessarily riling up the Madrid squad.
“He sinned through youth and a lack of maturity in saying what he said,” the 32-year-old midfielder told DAZN. “His words gave extra motivation to Madrid.”
Madrid icon Guti, meanwhile, praised Carvajal and the rest of the Madrid players who stood up to Yamal on the pitch.
“Lamine Yamal is too young to know the history of Real Madrid and Barça,” he added. “I too would have called him out on his words.”
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Real Madrid Star Makes Brutal Lamine Yamal Admission Over El Clasico Taunts.