Real Madrid Star Seen Provoking Girona Players And Fans Amid On-Pitch Brawl

Real Madrid star Vinicius Junior returned from injury and started for the first time in his side's 3-0 away victory against Girona over the weekend. He was clearly not yet at 100% fitness, but he showed that his fiery temperament can't be held back. As tensions flared in the closing stages of the match, the young Brazilian was captured on video gesturing from the bench and provoking the home team's fans who were in the stands.

At that point, Real Madrid had almost certainly secured three points after gaining a 3-0 advantage after regulation time. However, Nacho Fernandez did not let that keep him from keeping the intensity high as he defended aggressively against a Girona attack in stoppage time. He made a horror tackle on Cristian Portu, with his boot striking the player's leg in a manner that caused him to be stretchered off the field.

The referee initially handed Nacho a yellow card, but upon a quick VAR review of the tackle, he proceeded to flash a straight red. Players from both sides had surrounded Portu and the referee, and before making his way down the tunnel, Nacho decided to come over to pat Portu, who was receiving treatment on the ground. It is unclear if he meant to apologise or taunt the injured player. Either way, Girona player Christian Stuani did not like the gesture and proceeded to attack the Real Madrid defender.

Antonio Rudiger separated the two, but a mini-brawl broke out as more players form both sides got involved. Needless to say, both benches and the spectators in the stands also started to join in the chaos.

Vinicius gets up from the bench to respond to the crowd

It was at this point that Vinicius, who had already been subbed off the game, was seen gesturing to the crowd and showing off three fingers. He was clearly pertaining to the three goals that were already scored by teammates Joselu, Aurelien Tchouameni and Jude Bellingham.

Vinicius was smiling as he made the gesture, which was clearly in response to chants of "F*** Real Madrid" that were resonating through the Montilivi stadium. The Girona fans were extremely agitated at this point, especially after having led La Liga leading up to the match.

The loss meant that Real Madrid have retaken the top spot on the league table, with Girona now settling for third behind FC Barcelona. It had been a phenomenal start of the season for the club, and they found themselves at the top of the table for a brief moment before Los Blancos rained on their parade.

Vinicius Junior is hoping to regain top form

Real Madrid have also had a stellar start to the season, and only dropped points after slipping against cross-city rivals Atletico Madrid. Manager Carlo Ancelotti has been doing a lot of experimentation, and the squad rotations have had mixed reactions. He has had to make major adjustments due to the inherent imbalance in the positions of his available players, as well as some major injuries.

Vinicius is a key player who was expected to play an important role throughout the campaign, but he was forced to the sidelines for over a month due to a muscle injury. The match against Girona was his first start from injury, and it was clear that he was not yet fit to play the full 90 minutes.

It remains to be seen if he will start and play for the full match duration when Real Madrid face Napoli in a group stage UEFA Champions League match on Tuesday.

Jude Bellingham has been the breakout star of the season for Los Blancos, and he is expected to be on centre stage once more as the club continues its quest for a record 15th Champions League trophy.