Aggression in the tunnel as Barcelona and Espanyol squared up

The tension in the final moments of the derby was total and the brawl that took place in the tunnel came close to a total battle. What can be confirmed was that there were threats of all kinds, insults and some punches were thrown. At the very least, there was an outbreak of aggression between two footballers, who were separated by members of security staff at the stadium. There are a lot of accounts to be settled and the return leg will be fiery.

According to sources from both sides, it all began at the final whistle. Various Barcelona players blame Pau Lopez, but he did not appear in the brawl as he stayed out on the pitch for a few minutes. Three Barcelona players, Busquets, Mascherano and Suarez, lay in wait for the Espanyol players in the tunnel. Espanyol took longer to come in, having gone over to applaud their fans. Among the Espanyol players involved were Gerard Moreno, Enzo Roco and Joan Jordan.

Once the fighting started, after the threats and insults, it was quickly snuffled out by security staff. It did not blow up into a fully-fledged fight because the warring parties were separated, although they will meet again on Wednesday. The refereeing delegate saw everything, but left out the violence - which may have led to some serious bans - only referring the referee to the shouts by Luis Suarez, which were included in his report.