Real Madrid’s Vinicius Junior was furious with Man City forward Jack Grealish (Image: BEIN SPORTS)
Jack Grealish left Vinicius Junior furious and was accused of simulation after going down on the edge of the box in the first half of Manchester City’s Champions League second leg against Real Madrid on Wednesday night.
Facing Los Blancos at the Etihad in the second contest of their two-legged quarter-final, Grealish went down after a challenge on the edge of the Real Madrid 18-yard box from Vinicius.
Replays appeared to show contact between the outstretched right leg of the Brazil winger and the right boot of Grealish as he passed the ball to a team-mate on the edge of the area.
The England international went down rather theatrically and referee Daniele Orsato waved play on. And after the City attack came to a halt, Vinicius made his frustrations with Grealish clear.
Seemingly speaking Portuguese, the Real Madrid wide-man approached the City attacker and made a diving gesture with his right hand while shouting in his face.
With his back to the camera, Grealish’s response could not be seen though he appeared to say something back before smiling after being accused of cheating by his opponent.
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Vinicius Junior accused Jack Grealish of simulation (Image: BEIN SPORTS)
Dani Carvajal also made the same accusation towards the referee in the first half. Grealish was later booked for fouling the Spanish right-back from behind with the La Liga leaders on the attack. The Englishman was withdrawn for Jeremy Doku on 72 minutes.
Real Madrid led 1-0 after Vinicius’ cross helped lead to a 12th-minute Rodrygo goal. Ederson saved the initial shot but it rebounded straight to the winger to finish.
That gave the 14-time European champions a 4-3 lead on aggregate after a 3-3 draw at the Bernabeu last week. The winner of the tie will face Arsenal or Bayern Munich in the semi-finals of the competition.
The incident with Vinicius Jr was not Grealish’s first angry exchange with a player from a Madrid club. He was in the wars with Atletico Madrid two seasons ago.
In those two quarter-final legs, Sime Vrsaljko was booked for a late foul on the England international before Angel Correa picked up a yellow for kicking the ball at him in the first tie.
Vrsaljko later flicked the 28-year-old’s hair while Stefan Savic was fuming. Grealish and Savic clashed again in the second leg when the City man, a substitute warming up on the sidelines at the time, insulted the defender who in response pulled his hair.
Jack Grealish and Vinicius Junior appeared to trade words (Image: GETTY)
The duo were also thought to have traded words in the tunnel after the full-time whistle. Vrsaljko meanwhile appeared to throw an object at the City players on the way to the Wanda Metropolitano dressing rooms.
BT Sport commentator Darren Fletcher later claimed that police had to intervene to calm the two sets of players down.
“As the players were leaving the tunnel, Grealish was walking down the tunnel then Savic caught up with him and all of a sudden there was a commotion right at the mouth of the tunnel,” he said.
“At that point a lot of people came running into that area and the two players, Savic and Grealish, disappeared from my view very, very quickly after that four police officers came charging to that area as well and there was quite a commotion down there.
“I couldn’t tell you exactly what happened inside the tunnel because I can’t see it, but it was Savic involved again, Grealish the Man City player that was trying to leave the field, but another unsavoury situation here and very symptomatic of what we saw the last 15 minutes.”
Source: https://www.express.co.uk/sport/football/1889574/Jack-Grealish-cheating-Man-City-Vinicius-Jr-Real-Madrid