Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti has admitted Vinicius Junior must learn from Thursday’s 4-2 defeat to Atletico Madrid after his temperament was once again brought into question.
Madrid twice came from behind to secure a 2-2 draw after 90 minutes, with Vinicius visibly taunting the Atletico fans after each goal, while he was also shown a yellow card shortly before half-time after arguing with the referee.
At full time, Vinicius had to be separated from Atletico manager Diego Simeone after a heated exchange of words, with the Brazil international seen antagonising Simeone as part of his celebrations after the second equaliser.
“Little by little, [Vinicius] will learn from this,” Ancelotti said after the game. “It was a very competitive match and sometimes you’re not always able to keep a cool head. At some points in the game, I think this is quite understandable.
“I don’t know what happened [with Simeone]. For me, nothing happened. [Vinicius] had his opportunities, he fought well… I want to talk about that, I don’t want to comment on the rest at all.”
Club captain Nacho also moved to play down the clash between Vinicius and Simeone, adding: “It’s a derby. Everyone feels heated. I also had an argument with [Simeone]. This is football. Nothing happened. In this type of match, people are more wound up than usual.”
Simeone also brushed off the controversy, insisting it was simply a heat-of-the-moment exchange.
“There’s nothing to comment on,” the Atleti boss argued. “These are things that happen on the pitch.”
Ancelotti was left frustrated by the final result and acknowledged his youthful Madrid side perhaps lacked the experience required to manage such a fierce derby.
“Sometimes, when you have the game under control, you don’t need to force the play,” he explained. “We have young players with extraordinary quality who try. There are times in games when forcing the play is not necessary.”
