Real Madrid were considered the strong favourites ahead of the first leg of the Copa del Rey semi-finals against Barcelona. The Catalans were struggling with poor form and injuries to key players such as Robert Lewandowski, Pedri and Ousmane Dembele. Meanwhile, Andreas Christensen was also on the reserve bench as well.
Real Madrid had a great opportunity to secure a big win against Barcelona in the first leg of the Copa del Rey semi-finals. Given the latter’s poor form and several key absences. However, Madrid failed to capitalize on this chance and ended up losing 1-0 at home. Thus, leaving themselves with a tough task in the second leg at Camp Nou. Despite having 13 attempts, they were unable to register a single shot on target. Even against a makeshift Barcelona defense featuring Marcos Alonso as a center-back.
Vinicius Jr not living up to expectations against Barcelona
Vinicius, heavily relied upon by Real Madrid fans, failed to live up to their expectations in the game against Barcelona.
The Brazilian failed to perform well in the match against Barcelona and struggled against Ronald Araujo. Araujo seemed to have a psychological advantage over the Brazilian winger. As a result of his poor display, Vinicius became the subject of memes and comments about being in Araujo’s pocket. Additionally, he also received criticism for a controversial moment during the match.
During the first half of the game against Barcelona, Vinicius Junior was in an incident with Frenkie de Jong where he took him to the ground. Thus, resulting in a clear yellow card. Vinicius’ reaction was surprising as he argued with the referee and even pointed a finger at him. If another referee had been officiating, he might have shown Vinicius a second yellow card. This could have left Real Madrid with ten men. Despite his recent accolades, Vinicius had a poor performance. But it is important for him to bounce back in the second leg and make a difference for his team.
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