Hostilities between Atletico Madrid and Manchester City spilled into the bowels of the Wanda Metropolitano on Wednesday.
Following the clubs’ contentious Champions League quarterfinal second leg, a number of Atletico’s players continued to jaw at their counterparts in the tunnel. Stefan Savic, who pulled Jack Grealish’s hair in a sideline scuffle that lasted several minutes, barked at the English international as they walked up the stairs and to their respective dressing rooms.
Unused substitute Sime Vrsaljko also lost his temper in the background. The Croatian full-back threw something at City’s Aymeric Laporte before making a spitting motion at Kyle Walker. Vrsaljko was then restrained by staff.
Neither the players nor managers commented on the incident in their post-match interviews. City boss Pep Guardiola refused to discuss the referee or his opponents with reporters, while Atletico coach Diego Simeone insisted he “didn’t see” what happened.
Despite settling for a goalless draw Wednesday, City advanced to the Champions League semifinals with a 1-0 win on aggregate.