De Jong Condemns Carvajal For Making A Commotion With Yamal

JAKARTA - Frenkie de Jong criticized Dani Carvajal's provocation of Lamine Yamal at the end of the El Clasico match, which ended in a fight between players on the pitch after the match.

Real Madrid beat Barcelona 2-1 to end El Clasico's streak of four consecutive defeats and widened their lead at the top of LaLiga's standings over the Catalan side to five points.

Yamal was ridiculed throughout the game by Real Madrid fans for his comments early in the week when he said his team benefited from the referee's doubtful decision and was still complaining.

Carvajal approached Yamal, causing gestures with his hands that seemed to have also sparked clashes between the two players.

"If Carvajal wants to talk to Lamine, he can do it privately. If he feels he shouldn't do things like that (comments like that), he can contact him."

"They are teammates (on the Spanish National Team), they know each other. Why do they have to make a fuss on the pitch?" De Jong told reporters after the match.

Yamal had sparked tensions ahead of the game when he appeared on the Kings League YouTube channel - a seven-against-seven competition run by former Barcelona defender Gerard Pique.

He compared Real Madrid with one of the teams in the league. However, De Jong said the comments were taken out of context ahead of the match.

"Lamine didn't say they were robbing, not directly. She was there for the Kings League, people commented, but I haven't heard Lamine say that exactly."

"I can understand the Real Madrid players, but the reaction was excessive," said De Jong.

It created a hostile atmosphere towards Yamal at the Santiago Bernabeu. The fans ridiculed his name when he was introduced before the game and then laughed at him every time he touched the ball.

"It could be (it's), maybe a little, because he's also learning to face audiences, screams and jokes from the audience."

"That's normal. Usually he's very motivated and plays well. Today's not easy for him," said Barcelona assistant coach Marcus Soorg, who replaced the suspension Hansi Flick, about whether the atmosphere affected Yamal.

On the pitch, Real Madrid defended well against Yamal, with left-back Alvaro Carreras performing brilliantly.

Sor emphasized that Yamal had just recovered from a groin injury. He added that unfairly burdening the teenager was too heavy.

"He recovered from injury and required rhythm, more games at the highest level. That's normal, he's only 18 years old."

"We have to give him time, we have to help him, we do everything together. Opponents try everything to survive very well, they adapt this season."

"So, we worked with him to help him show his best performance on the pitch again."

"They often play two against one against him. They want to prevent him from entering the penalty box to make a final finish and so on. That's normal. He's young and has to develop, and we'll help him," he said.

Meanwhile, Los Blancos manager, Xabi Alonso, played down the impact of the match.

"This is the current tension, for them and us. Fights like this always happen, not just in these matches."

"A lot of things happen in the game. It can be healthy, as long as there is respect. At least that's how I see it," he said at a press conference.

Alonso's opinion was later confirmed by Real Madrid midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni, who said Yamal's statement had been a source of motivation for the team in preparation for the match.

"Personally, I like it. It's just words, no bad intentions, it motivates us a little more. If Lamine wants to talk, it doesn't matter," he said.

Goals from Kylian Mbappe and Jude Bellingham, as well as one goal from Fermin Lopez from Barcelona, confirmed Real Madrid's victory in a match marked by the referee's controversial decision.

Real Madrid had a penalty at the start of the game which was canceled and three goals were disallowed for offside.

They also ended up getting a penalty after Eric Garcia made a handball even though Mbappe's shot was parried by Wojciech Szczesny.