‘He’s one of the best defenders in the world’ – Xavi hails this player for stopping Vinicius

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Real Madrid dominated possession when the Los Blancos hosted Barcelona in the first leg of the Copa del Rey semi-final clash.

For all of Madrid’s possession, they lost the tie 1-0, and also struggled to create chances.

Real Madrid couldn’t get a shot on target all game, as the likes of Vinicius Jr and Karim Benzema were kept quiet all game.

Speaking after the game, Barca boss Xavi Hernandez hailed centre-back Ronald Araujo for doing a good job on Vinicius.

Xavi said: “We can’t underestimate our work to stop Vinicius today.

“He usually creates 6 or 7 chances by himself, but nothing today. Araujo was spectacular, but all of our defenders were really good.

“He is one of the best defenders in the world.”