Diego Simeone’s passion on the touchline has always been part of his identity, but once again, his behaviour during a big match has drawn attention for the wrong reasons.
The Atletico Madrid manager found himself in the spotlight during the Copa del Rey semi-final first leg against Barcelona, not just for the result, but for an incident involving Lamine Yamal.
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With Atletico already dominating the match, the home side struck their third goal in the first half.
As the celebrations continued, the cameras picked up a moment that quickly became the main talking point of the night.
What did he do?
According to images broadcast by El Chiringuito, Simeone appeared to direct a gesture towards the young Barcelona winger.
Standing near his technical area, the Argentine coach held up three fingers, clearly referencing the scoreline at that point.
At the same time, Yamal happened to pass in front of him, which made the moment look personal rather than general.
The gesture did not go unnoticed, as the cameras replayed the scene from different angles, showing Simeone repeating the motion as the scoreboard read 3-0.
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Meanwhile, for Yamal, the match was one to forget. The winger struggled to make an impact, as Atletico’s intensity and organisation left Barcelona with little space to operate.
There is optimism
Barcelona still believe the tie is not completely over, but the task ahead is enormous.
A comeback will require a near-perfect performance, and moments like this will only add extra motivation inside the dressing room.
Coming back to Simeone, this is not the first time he has been involved in a heated exchange with an opposition player recently.
Just a month ago, during the Spanish Super Cup semi-final, he was caught in a tense moment with Real Madrid forward Vinicius Junior.
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In that incident, the Atletico coach was heard saying, “Florentino is going to kick you out!”, a remark that forced him to apologise later on.
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