After a violent challenge: Vinicius mocks the referee of the Espanyol match

لقطة مثيرة

Real Madrid's opening game of the La Liga season already has its flashpoint. Vinicius Junior was kicked from behind against Espanyol, and the controversy has followed the Whites from the very first round.

The Brazilian was on the ground when the challenge came in, yet his opponent went unpunished.

According to the Spanish newspaper "Marca", Vinicius found himself at the centre of the storm after Espanyol's Cala aimed a kick at his back while he lay on the turf. The referee waved play on, and Real Madrid's players were up in arms.

That kick lit the fuse.

Vinicius sprang to his feet to confront Cala, and a brief scuffle broke out between a handful of players. It went no further than that.

Awarding the foul in Vinicius's favour, the referee stopped short of a card for Cala. VAR stayed silent too, judging the incident unworthy of a review.

Real Madrid's bench and players seethed, convinced a booking was the least the moment deserved.

Off the pitch, the row rumbled on. "DAZN" posted the video on their social media accounts, and Vinicius fired back with a dose of sarcasm.

His comment on the clip said it all: "A yellow card for Vini!". Vinicius mocked the whole episode by reposting the video on his own accounts.