Saturday’s “Catalan Derby” at the Spotify Camp Nou saw Barcelona fans give Espanyol goalkeeper Juan García a notable welcome.
According to Spanish newspaper Mundo Deportivo, the Catalan supporters greeted the 24-year-old shot-stopper with sarcastic chants of “Juan García, son of La Masia”, a symbolic dig linking him to Barcelona’s famed academy despite his Espanyol roots.
The taunts followed loud boos he heard at Espanyol’s stadium in the first leg and again during his Spain debut against Egypt last March.
The chant had echoed around the ground in previous games, but in this heated derby it carried extra weight.
On the pitch, García conceded a goal to Paul Lozano that he could not keep out, Despite the goal, García remains on course for his first Zamora Award, having conceded just 19 goals in 24 La Liga appearances and made 64 crucial saves.