Vinícius mocks Barcelona after El Clásico

What did he do?

Real Madrid forward Vinícius Júnior took to Instagram to celebrate the Clásico result after the Whites edged a precious 2-1 win at the Spotify Camp Nou, slashing the gap to their Catalan rivals to three points in La Liga.

The Brazilian played no part in the clash. A four-match ban, handed down for his aggressive conduct towards Nathan Saliba during Real Madrid's game against Villarreal on Saturday 10 October, ruled him out.

According to the report, Vinícius followed the match from outside the stadium. Once his side had sealed the win, he posted three laughing emojis, a gesture read as a dig at the pundits who had tipped Barcelona for the eagerly awaited encounter.

Kylian Mbappé won it with a late strike in the 87th minute. The Whites had led from a first-half goal before Raphinha levelled for Barcelona in the 61st, so the victory handed Mourinho's men a sizeable morale boost.

Yan Diomande's dazzling form could ramp up competition for the winger slot, the newspaper noted, raising doubts over Vinícius' role once his ban ends. Will José Mourinho restore him to the starting line-up, or use him off the bench to swing games?

Two more matches of the suspension remain before Vinícius is available for Real Madrid again.

The win lifted Real Madrid's tally and trimmed the gap to La Liga leaders Barcelona to three points. For the Catalans, it was a second defeat in a week, following their collapse against Paris Saint-Germain in the UEFA Champions League.