Antonio Rudiger went full Antonio Rudiger during Real Madrid’s 1-0 defeat to Barcelona in their Copa del Rey semi-final at the Santiago Bernabeu on Thursday evening.
Eder Militao’s own-goal in the 26th minute was enough for La Blaugrana to record a priceless 1-0 win at the home of their fierce rivals.
The result becomes even more impressive when you consider that Barca were missing the likes of Robert Lewandowski, Ousmane Dembele and Pedri for the El Clasico showdown.
As is usually the case in any contest between Real and Barcelona, it didn’t take long before tempers became raised.
After just 24 minutes, Vinicius Jr and Frenkie de Jong clashed, resulting in scenes that wouldn’t have looked out of place in WWE.
The pair tussled over the ball before the Brazilian winger let his frustrations get the better of him – and threw De Jong to the turf.
A further clip has emerged from the match showing what a rough night it was for the Dutch midfielder.
Antonio Rudiger randomly struck Frenkie de Jong in the head during Real Madrid 0-1 Barcelona
The Barcelona man was never far from the action in the Spanish capital, even when he didn’t have the ball.
Germany international Rudiger has regularly gone viral for his unorthodox playing style in recent times – and decided to embrace the dark arts during Thursday’s match.
The bizarre incident took place when Barcelona’s Raphinha was in possession of the ball on the right flank.
While De Jong was attempting to make a run in support of his Brazilian teammate, Raphinha seemingly had no interest in passing the ball as he was fully focused on ploughing down the wing.
Rudiger, though, apparently decided that he would try and snuff out any danger by cheekily striking De Jong with his arm as he ran past him.
The plan worked, too, as Rudiger’s blow halted De Jong’s momentum, leading to Barca’s attack stalling.
You can check out Rudiger’s unique defensive tactic below.
Video: Rudiger halts De Jong with strike to the head
When do Barcelona and Real Madrid meet again?
Barcelona will attempt to defend their slender lead when the two sides meet in the second-leg of the Copa del Rey semi-final tie on Wednesday, April 5th.
However, the two rivals will lock horns again before then as Barca host Real in a massive La Liga contest on Sunday, March 19. A win in that fixture could be crucial to Los Blancos’ chances of retaining their domestic crown.
After getting away with a prime piece of s***housery against De Jong earlier this week, it would be no surprise to see Rudiger try and bend the rules to his advantage again in a pair of crucial contests.
