Neymar scored a goal in the 2-0 win that saw Paris Saint-Germain eliminating Borussia Dortmund from the Champions League. However, the Brazilian superstar has extended PSG's tussle with the German club from the pitch to social media. In his posts after the match, Neymar trolled Dortmund's Erling Haaland with gusto.
In celebrating his goal that led to the victory, Neymar struck a pose that mimicked how Haaland usually reacted following a goal - by forming his fingers as if he is in meditation. And the rest of the Parisians joined in after the match.
The post-match photos of the squad showed them in meditation pose, which replicated the viral photo of the teenage striker in celebration of Dortmund's 1-0 win over PSG in Germany.
And the clapback did not end there. Neymar posted on Instagram his photo that copied the Haaland celebratory pose. It might be that no harm was intended on how Neymar and company behaved in trying to get back to the prolific Norwegian striker, but their actions came off as a form of mockery.
Metro said what Neymar and his PSG teammates did was not pleasing at all, as far as the father of Haaland was concerned. The older Haaland was convinced Neymar was making fun of his son, and the whole of PSG supported the unacceptable move.
It was like an unnecessary display of hubris, carried out by a team that has conquered an opponent but it appeared that was not the original design.
It turned out an image of Haaland circulated online with an accompanying claim that Paris "is my city, not yours. It is said that the post was in response to an earlier poke coming from a fan but as clarified by Goal, it was possible that the photo could have been edited.
The suggestion was Neymar, and his teammates were reacting to a post that Haaland could be clueless about.
Nonetheless, the response has been sent and punctuated by his message that was highlighted in the IG post, which stated: "Paris is our city, not yours."
Other social media posts, likely from PSG supporters, also advised Haaland that his city is located in Norway and where he should head back. To be sure, the exchanges were not pleasant at all but can be viewed as part of a competitive and passionate game between professionals.
To illustrate how the game can easily get out of control, BVB's Emre Can got into a shoving incident with Neymar near the end of the match, and both sides nearly came to blows. The tussle earned a red card for Can, which PSH described as "severe and ridiculous."
