‘Koeman explodes!’: Furious Barcelona manager’s VAR rant leads the Spanish papers after El Clasico defeat… while AS hail Zinedine Zidane’s men and claim ‘Madrid always return’ after stunning 3-1 win at the Nou Camp
Ronald Koeman’s fury with the referee and VAR after Barcelona‘s El Clasico defeat to Real Madrid has featured heavily in the Spanish papers this morning.
The Nou Camp boss was left angered after Clement Lenglet’s tug on Sergio Ramos‘ shirt was deemed to be worth of a penalty in the pulsating clash.
Ramos’ cool spot-kick, combined with strikes from Federico Valverde and Luka Modric, saw Real shake off two straight losses and stun their arch rivals once again.
Spanish papers focused on Ronald Koeman’s rant about VAR after Barcelona’s El Clasico loss
Koeman was irked after a penalty was awarded against his team in the defeat to Real Madrid
The decision from the officials, which was rubber-stamped with a lengthy VAR check at the pitchside monitor, was controversial and stirred opinion.
With the score at 1-1, Lenglet was caught in the footage holding onto Ramos inside the box, although the Real captain fell to the turf in theatrical fashion.
The front page of Mundo Deportivo has been emblazoned with the headline ‘Koeman explodes’ after the Dutchman’s withering post-match comments.
The headline on the front page of Mundo Deportivo is ‘Koeman explodes’ after his comments
Ansu Fati (middle) had netted the leveller although his close range effort was just a consolation
He believes that the technology is against his team and pointed out the discrepancies when checks weren’t used in clashes earlier this season.
‘Every decision goes against us,’ Koeman told Barca TV. ‘In five games there have been none in our favour. There was the [Lionel] Messi penalty against Sevilla that was not given and the red card against Getafe.
‘Today’s penalty is just something that happens in the area.’
AS, meanwhile, have lavished praise on the performance from the reigning champions in Catalonia.
AS believe that Real ‘always return’ after Zinedine Zidane’s side recovered from a difficult week
Luka Modric kept his composure in second half stoppage time to beat Neto and seal the result
An early strike from Valverde handed Real the perfect start in the typically-heated derby, although Ansu Fati’s leveller after just eight minutes threatened to shift the momentum.
But Ramos and Modric delivered for Real to ensure they bounced back in style following a tough week.
The publication proclaimed that ‘Madrid always return’ and signalled a welcome comeback to form for the team after a poor week.
Pressure mounted on Zinedine Zidane after his side collapsed to the two defeats, once again fuelling speculation that he could be replaced this season despite his impressive trophy tally.
LaLiga newcomers Cadiz emerged as shock victors at the Bernabeu last weekend after Anthony Lozano’s first half goal, and Shakhtar Donetsk – despite having been ravaged by Covid-19 cases – piled on the misery in midweek.
Marca claim Real have waved away fears of a crisis after downing their fellow title challengers
Real already hold a six-point advantage over their famous foes after their Nou Camp triumph
The Ukrainian outfit led by three goals at the break, and efforts from Modric and Vinicius Jr proved to be mere consolations.
On Sunday, Marca opted to run with a similar theme to AS, and believed Real waved away fears of a potential crisis at the club with their impressive showing.
The result means that Zidane’s men already hold a six-point advantage over their old foes.
