After Espanyol’s loss to Barcelona, Espanyol coach Manolo González accused Laminé Yamal of diving.
Following the Catalan derby defeat, González expressed frustration over the refereeing and criticized Yamal. In response, Barcelona’s former defender Gerard Piqué fired back.
On Thursday night at Espanyol’s stadium, Barcelona secured the La Liga title with a 2-0 win, with two matches remaining. Yamal opened the scoring early in the second half with a stunning goal. The 17-year-old winger also contributed to Fermín López’s late goal, showcasing his excellent form.
Espanyol had to play the last 10 minutes with ten men after defender Leandro Cabrera was shown a direct red card for striking Yamal in the stomach while trying to gain possession. The referee made the decision after reviewing the VAR monitor.
After the match, González accused Yamal of diving during the incident.
“That’s such a hit — how can you fall like that? It should be done better, right? We all know that on the other side of Diagonal (Barcelona’s side), they’ve been perfecting the act for years,” González said.
“We’re ruining football. Cabrera’s movement wasn’t strong enough to cause injury. It wasn’t a foul, a hit to the face, or a hard tackle. I told Laminé to stop diving. There was no need for a dive at that moment.”
Piqué didn’t stay silent. The former Barcelona defender strongly responded to González.
“On the other side of Diagonal? Sorry, but you left the city many years ago. Barcelona means Blaugrana (the club’s nickname),” Piqué fired back.
After Barcelona’s La Liga win following the Spanish Super Cup and Copa del Rey, Piqué also expressed his joy on social media, saying, “What a joy.”
