New footage from Manchester City’s match against Real Madrid has revealed a moment shared between Pep Guardiola and Vinicius Jr.
The coach took the opportunity to wind up the winger, who took it very well considering what was at stake at the Etihad.
Los Blancos were eventually humbled in the Champions League semi-finals by their English opponents, losing 4-0 on the night and 5-1 on aggregate.
City restricted the serial Champions League winners to minimal opportunities, with the visitors managing just seven shots with only three efforts on target.
After the game, City gaffer Guardiola was delighted that his side had managed to secure a spot in the final and the opportunity to have a shot at a treble this season.
“In the Premier League we are close,” the Spaniard said, per ESPN. “We know we need one more game and I would say we play against our neighbours [Manchester United] and against an Italian team [Internazionale] in the finals.
“The season is really, really good, now we have to lift it. We are close and of course we are going to try.
“We are there, we can think about it, we can visualise it. We are three games away. One each of the competitions, we can do it.”
Guardiola has a laugh with Vinicius
While City were excellent, Madrid went out of this year’s competition with a whimper.
Every player in a black shirt, with the exception of Thibaut Courtois possibly, performed below par, including their star player Vinicius Jr.
The Brazilian failed to complete either of his two dribbles, managed just one off-target effort, and lost possession 17 times, the most out of any Madrid player [via Sofascore].
And at one point in the night, Guardiola could not resist joking with the winger about how his side were performing.
Footage captured Pep asking the winger a question, which has since been translated by MadridUniversal to, “Vini, Vini, are you guys going to play?”
You might expect the opposition player to react angrily, given his team were playing poorly on the night, but he instead simply turns around, smiles, and says, “Yes, yes, in just a little bit.”
The pair laugh about the situation and shake hands, highlighting the respect each of them has for the other.
Given that everything looks to be taking place in the first half, perhaps Guardiola’s comments played on the mind of Vinicius and threw him off his game…
Video: Guardiola and Vinicius on the touchline
Vinicius might have been smiling during the match, but he and his teammates would have been furious following the final whistle.
Wednesday’s result bordered on humiliation for the 14-time winners of Europe’s esteemed competition, and manager Carlo Ancelotti conceded after the game that his side were not up to the task.
“It’s a defeat that hurts, it hurts a lot. But sometimes it can happen in football,” the boss said, as per ESPN.
“You get to the Champions League semifinals against a strong opponent, they play better than you and deserve to get to the final. We have to think about next season, the next Champions League, to learn and be better.”
City will now face Inter, who triumphed over City rivals AC Milan, in Istanbul on June 10, where Guardiola will be hoping to lift the famous Champions League trophy for the first time in 12 years.
