Madrids

Real Madrid’s Vinicius Jr says he “didn’t want to offend anyone” when he and some of his team-mates clashed with Barcelona players after winning Sunday’s El Clasico.

The Brazil forward, 25, expressed his frustration at being substituted in the 72nd minute and went straight down the tunnel.

He returned to the Real bench later and, after his side’s 2-1 win, tried to confront Barcelona’s 18-year-old winger Lamine Yamal during unsavoury post-match scenes.

Vinicius was one of five players booked for their part in the incident, while Real’s substitute goalkeeper Andriy Lunin was shown a red card.

“El Clasico is like that,” Vinicius told Real Madrid TV. “There are a lot of things happening on and off the pitch.

“We try to maintain a balance, but it’s not always possible. We didn’t want to offend anyone, not Barca players, nor the fans.

“We know that when we step on to the pitch, we have to defend our side, and that’s how it was today.”

Lamine Yamal had angered the Real players by saying last week that Real ‘steal’ and ‘complain’.

After scoring Sunday’s winner at the Bernabeu, Real’s England midfielder Jude Bellingham said on Instagram:, external “Talk is cheap. Hala Madrid always.”

The teenager, with three senior caps for Argentina, has already made an impression in his native land.

“Franco’s passage through our club left an indelible mark.” Roberto Binzuna, the president of Cemento Armado, where Mastantuono earned his stripes before joining River, tells BBC Sport.

“Only time will decide how long it lives on in our memory.

“He’s a sensational young man, with outstanding human and sporting characteristics, distinctive in whatever sport he played – an exceptional tennis player and an even better footballer.

“His presence always stands out over the other players, even the older ones, and he has an incredible shot on him.”

Indeed, Mastantuono’s ability to strike the ball from range has caught the eye. Most notable was his free-kick against Superclasico rivals Boca Juniors in April, swept into the top corner from about 30 yards.

That aside, the left-footer is agile, quickly shifting the ball one way and the other when dribbling. Such has been evident from the start.

“I remember he was restless behind the ball. But what I saw set him apart,” says Marcelo Olariaga, the vice president of Club Atletico River Plate Azuleno, Mastantuono’s first home.

“Compared to the rest, he ran very lightly with the ball. But he always had it tied to his feet.”

Although the teenager often starts on the right wing, much of his impact comes in central positions.

In River’s first Club World Cup outing this summer, a 3-1 win against Urawa Red Diamonds, Mastantuono roamed inside and bent a pass to the left, eventually leading to Facundo Colidio’s opening goal.

As for the statistics, Mastantuono has featured 64 times for River, scoring 10 goals and assisting seven. At 16, he was the youngest to score for the Argentine giants with the famous red sash.

Meanwhile, he is the youngest to feature competitively for Argentina’s senior team, reaching that landmark against Chile in June.

French forward Kylian Mbappe is battling illness on the eve of Club World Cup opener for Real Madrid against Al Hilal.

Real Madrid’s Kylian Mbappe is a doubt for the club’s opening Club World Cup match against Saudi Arabia’s Al Hilal after missing training on Tuesday due to illness.

The club said Mbappe had been suffering from a fever, with newly-appointed manager Xabi Alonso, who will make his debut in the dugout in Wednesday’s match, adding that a decision on his participation would be made in the morning.

“Kylian was a bit better this morning, but he was not fully fit, so we thought it would be best for him to skip training. Let’s see how it evolves, and we’ll make a last-minute decision,” Alonso told a news conference on the eve of the clash at the Hard Rock Stadium.

The potential absence of Mbappe leaves Alonso facing a selection dilemma as the French player is currently the only recognised centre-forward in the squad.

Brazilian teenager Endrick, who could have provided an alternative, was left out of the travelling party following a leg muscle injury sustained during Real’s La Liga fixture at Sevilla last month.

Mbappe has been instrumental for Real Madrid this season, scoring 31 La Liga goals since his high-profile summer move from Paris St Germain.

Regardless of Mbappe’s potential absence, Alonso insisted his team would need to press “like a unit”.

“Defensive work is important. It’s one of the tasks we need to address in the short term, and in the long term, it will be decisive for our success,” the Spaniard said.

Real Madrid enter the tournament as one of the favourites, having dominated European football over the last decade, winning five of the last 10 Champions League titles.

Al Hilal secured their place in the competition by triumphing in the AFC Champions League in 2021, and will look to capitalise on any weakness in Madrid’s lineup.

Real and Al-Hilal were drawn in Group F with Mexican side Pachuca and RB Salzburg of Austria.