‘Koeman explodes!’: Spanish papers ramp up the pressure on Barcelona boss 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 after Barcelona’s El Clasico defeat to Real Madrid features 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 have ramped up pressure on Ronald Koeman 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.
Lenglet was caught in the footage manhandling 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 rant on VAR
Ansu Fati (middle) had netted the leveller although his close range effort was just a consolation
He believes that the technology is only used against his team and pointed out the discrepancies when checks wasn’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.
The publication proclaimed that ‘Madrid always return’ and signalled a welcome comeback to form for the team after a poor week.
Marca have opted to run with a similar theme and believed Real waved away fears of a potential crisis at the club with their impressive showing.
The result means that Zinedine Zidane’s men already hold a six-point advantage over their old foes.
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
