Real Madrid were furious with the referees on Tuesday night, feeling hard-done by with three yellow cards handed out for dissent. On the other side of the divide, there was equal outrage that Endrick Felipe avoided a red card for kicking out, and Vinicius Junior a second booking for his talking back.

After the match on Tuesday, Carlo Ancelotti told his players publicly that they must halt their complaining, something that has happened for the fourth time this calendar year. One player they are reportedly losing faith in though is Vinicius Junior. The Brazilian was fortunate to avoid a second yellow for protesting a decision to add on six minutes of injury time, laughing in the fourth official’s face, and sarcastically applauding.

Diario AS point out that Vinicius is now on 49 yellow cards for his career, but has only ever been sent off twice, once for Castilla, and once against Valencia, which was rescinded by a disciplinary committee. There is some concern that his short fuse may go off again at the Metropolitano on Sunday night, in a highly tense atmosphere.

According to Sport, Ancelotti has been individually trying to help Vinicius with his behaviour on the pitch, and has spoken to him privately about the risks he runs while protesting against the referees. Assistant manager Davide Ancelotti has done the same, but none of it has had much of an impact on Vinicius, and calming that part of his game is now regarded as a lost cause by the coaching team. It has been reported on several occasions that his teammates are frustrated by his antics too, naturally fearing that he runs into trouble at some point.

Given the abuse Vinicius has been subjected to on the pitch, it is no surprise that he feels a sense of injustice quicker than other players. However, as Ancelotti has remarked, the 24-year-old will have to adapt, because no matter what has happened in the past, any referee will brandish a yellow card for consistent protests.