But Casado's intervention did little to end the brewing tension. Thibaut Courtois then raced over to Yamal to get in the teenager's face, prompting a Barcelona contingent led by Frenkie de Jong and Jules Kounde to jump in and protect their young comrade. Yamal managed to escape the situation as pushing and shoving ensued, and was removed by a club official, as others tried to restore peace.
Vinicius Junior is alleged to have goaded Yamal during the game about Barcelona's struggles to get going creatively: "Nothing but back passes, huh? Just passing it back to the defenders."
Meanwhile, De Jong said of his brawl involvement: "I didn't see what happened. I was on the bench and saw a lot of people [rush over]. Then the referee blew his whistle, Real Madrid players went after Lamine. It's a bit exaggerated. You'd have to ask them.
"In the first half, we weren't sharp with the ball. Madrid hurt with their players up front. In the second half, we lacked the ability to create danger and clear chances. If Carvajal wanted to speak with Lamine, call him or text him. You're [Spain] team-mates, you know each other. Why do you have to make a scene on the pitch?"
Barcelona assistant coach Marcus Sorg defended Yamal: "It wasn't easy for him today. We spoke at half-time, we told him we needed him one-on-one, but he didn't have many chances. They defended well, they tried everything to stop him, and we have to accept that. He was fine, but the injury he sustained [earlier in the season] was serious, and he needs more games to be at his best.
"We have to give him time and help him, together, so he can get back to his best. The opponents were looking for Lamine and creating two-on-ones to stop him from going inside the box or finishing. He's young and needs to improve, and we'll help him. Maybe the atmosphere at the Bernabeu affected him; he's also learning from everything it creates. He's very motivated and played well. But it wasn't an easy game for him."
