The Madrid Derby sidelines boiled over with tension during Simeone Taunts Vinícius semi-final. As Vinícius Júnior was substituted and walked toward Real Madrid’s bench, a head-on clash erupted between the two managers in the technical area. Xabi Alonso stepped in immediately to stop Simeone from continuing to put pressure on the Real Madrid player.
The incident unfolded when the Brazilian forward was making his way off the pitch. Simeone shouted at him from Atlético Madrid’s coaching area, repeatedly pointing to the stands and gesturing for Vinícius to listen to the boos from the crowd. This was far from the first time Simeone had targeted Vinícius with such actions during the match.
The scene quickly drew a fierce reaction from Real Madrid boss Xabi Alonso. He marched straight toward Simeone, expressed his dissatisfaction face-to-face, and was caught on camera by sideline photographers shouting: “Mind your own team, you sxxx of bxxxxes! (¡Tú a los tuyos, hijos de puta!)” Alonso’s tough intervention was clearly intended to prevent the situation from escalating and stop his player from being dragged into unnecessary conflict.
The tense standoff lasted several seconds before Federico Valverde acted as a peacemaker, separating the two managers and escorting Vinícius back to the substitute bench. Still visibly furious, Alonso turned to the fourth official to lodge a protest, demanding that Simeone be stopped from repeatedly directing remarks at Real Madrid players.
In fact, this clash was not an isolated incident. Shortly after kick-off, Vinícius and Simeone had frequent encounters along the same touchline, engaging in multiple verbal and physical skirmishes throughout the first half—so much so that fourth official García-Verdura was forced to step in and mediate on several occasions.
Footage released by the broadcaster showed that during one sideline confrontation, Simeone had also made a highly personal comment to Vinícius, claiming: “Florentino will drive you away sooner or later. Mark my words.” This only served to further heighten tensions.
As the match progressed, direct confrontations between the two sides eased somewhat. But before half-time, Simeone once again voiced his frustration in the technical area, turning his anger toward Dani Carvajal instead. It was against this backdrop of a series of simmering incidents that when Simeone taunted Vinícius again with the words “Listen to how they’re booing you” during the substitution, Alonso chose to respond with a firm and immediate intervention.
