Espanyol star criticises Barcelona players’ behaviour… and fans force him to flee

Espanyol defender Paul Lozano has deactivated his Instagram account after facing a backlash from Barcelona supporters following Saturday’s Catalan Derby.

The row flared up after Espanyol’s 4-1 loss at the Camp Nou in Saturday’s 31st-round La Liga clash, when Lozano exchanged words with several Barça players.

While the match itself was eventful, it was the tunnel altercation after the final whistle that drew the most criticism, with the Espanyol camp voicing displeasure at their local rivals’ conduct.

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Lozano found himself caught in a verbal altercation with several Barça players, including Portuguese full-back João Cancelo.

Lozano openly expressed his disappointment over the exchange. When asked about the specific words directed at him by the Barcelona players, the midfielder declined to give details, telling DAZN: “It doesn’t matter; the only thing that counts is football… Everyone saw the level of respect they showed their fellow professionals. Nothing more to add.”

He later clarified the nature of the altercation: “It wasn’t about Cancelo. These things happen on the pitch. They tried to provoke me a bit because they won, that’s all… When you lose, you have to put up with it… It’s always the same, it doesn’t matter.”

The row then spilled from the tunnel onto social media, prompting the midfielder to temporarily leave Instagram to escape further abuse from local rivals’ fans.

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