El Clasico, the famous clash between Real Madrid and Barcelona, is always an eventful tie. And on Sunday, it didn’t disappoint, with the Blaugrana winning in stoppage time thanks to Lionel Messi to grab top spot.
The game wasn’t without controversy. In the 77th minute, with the hosts already trailing 2-1, Sergio Ramos was shown a straight red card for a two-footed tackle on Messi. Although many agreed that his dismissal was warranted, members of the Blancos side felt the Spaniard was unfairly sent off.
The Real Madrid captain remained adamant that his challenge on the five-time Ballon d’Or winner warranted only a booking, telling reporters after the game (as per ESPN FC): "The red card was excessive. I was not going to harm anyone. In my opinion, that was a yellow card, not a red. I was too late, but there was no contact.
"I never have the intention to hurt anyone."
The sending off left Zidane’s side one man down, and that disadvantage showed as Messi scored the winning goal in stoppage time.
Pique, who enjoys a war-of-words with Ramos, voiced a different opinion to that of the Real Madrid skipper. The Barcelona defender argued that the referee made no mistake in sending off his countryman, whilst also taking a dig at Les Merengues and the alleged favoritism they receive.
"I am sure when he gets home he will realise it was a red card," Pique also told reporters.
"It was clear: he went in with both feet off the ground, nowhere near the ball. There's no argument. What happens is that [Madrid] are used to having very permissive referees here and when there isn't one, that's how they react."
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