Cameras caught Real Madrid’s Brahim Diaz yelling at Atletico Madrid manager Diego Simeone to “speak now” after scoring the winning goal in his side’s 2-1 Champions League victory over their city rivals on Tuesday.
Rodrygo opened the scoring for Real after just four minutes with a sweet left-footed strike before Julian Alvarez hauled the visitors level with an impressive effort of his own shortly after the half-hour mark. Diaz nabbed the decisive strike ten minutes into the second half, weaving between a forest of red and white stripes before picking out the bottom corner.
After untangling himself from the fervent South Stand and embracing Carlo Ancelotti, Diaz turned his attention towards Simeone in the away dugout. “Speak now, speak now!” Movistar+ cameras caught the midfielder screaming, as quoted by MARCA. “Yesterday you speak, speak now!”
Diaz hasn’t explained the cause of this frenzied volley, but his involvement was addressed (and doubted) by Simeone during his preview of Tuesday’s Champions League round-of-16 tie.
When quizzed about how Madrid would line up at the Santiago Bernabeu without the suspended Jude Bellingham, Simeone theorised: “They will try to compensate, I imagine, with [Eduardo] Camavinga in that position alongside [Luka] Modric and [Aurelien] Tchouameni. There is also the possibility of Brahim, but I don’t think so because obviously there is a pattern that is repeated and they will probably play in this way.”
In reality, Ancelotti lined up with a front four of Diaz and Rodrygo on either side of Vinicius Junior and Kylian Mbappe. The French duo of Eduardo Camavinga and Aurelien Tchouameni patrolled the middle of the pitch for Real while Luka Modric started on the bench.
Simeone described Diaz’s goal as the “most painful” Atletico conceded on Tuesday. “We were controlling the game better and the feeling was good.”
Diaz did not explain the reasoning behind his celebration and spent little time savouring his winning goal. “Playing here is something incredible, I always say it, but when you wear this shirt you have to give it your all,” the Morocco international insisted, before immediately shifting his focus to the second leg at the Metropolitano next Wednesday. “The goal was good but this is not over, there is the return leg and you have to give it your all anyway.
“We have always had balance, it is true that they equalised and we fell a little down but in the second half we started well and at any moment we can mess things up. Everything is still open, it is good that we won at home but in the return leg you have to give it your all, this is the Champions League and every little thing makes the difference.
“I am here to contribute and that is the only thing I have to do.”
