There was disappointment in store for Real Madrid fans after Barcelona drubbed them 4-0 to register an emphatic El Clasico win a few days ago. But that defeat also left their midfielder Toni Kroos needing stitches to fix up an injury to his leg, reportedly caused by a tackle from Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. The Barcelona striker ran the show at Santiago Bernabeu on the night, pulling off an assist and scoring two goals to mark his El Clasico debut in style. In a podcast, the  German midfielder maestro revealed that he needed three stitches to fix up the wound on his right leg which came from a rough challenge from Aubameyang. The Gabonese was not shown any card for the offense, though. Real Madrid 0–4 Barcelona, La Liga 2021–22 Video Highlights

"I had a wound and they had to sew my tibia with three stitches," he said, as quoted by Mundo Deportivo, in a  podcast. I saw that I was bleeding, but I didn't really notice it in the game." Kroos was replaced by Eduardo Camavinga at half-time. This however is not the first issue involving Kroos and Aubameyang. Kroos had earlier taken a shot at the forward, slamming him for his goal celebrations which often included putting on superhero masks. Aubameyang, who was an Arsenal player back then, had responded back sternly, saying that he does it for his children. The former Borussia Dortmund man pulled off a Dragon Ball Z celebration after scoring in the El Clasico.  Barcelona Players Erupt Into Joyous Dressing Room Celebrations After El Clasico Win Over Real Madrid (Watch Videos)

Real Madrid were surprisingly taken aback by Barcelona, who have indeed made a lot of progress under Xavi. The Catalan giants are third on the La Liga 2021-22 table and with such good form, one can expect them to pose a title challenge or at least finish second. Real Madrid, who remain 12 points clear the top ahead of second-placed Sevilla, are favourites at the moment to win the La Liga 2021-22 title and Kroos sounded confident of his team bouncing back from this defeat.

"We have to raise our heads again," the German said, adding, "Everyone would have signed at the beginning of the season to be as we are. The season has been very good so far, we are doing very well and there are two months left in which we cannot allow what has happened to us. change the course. We have many possibilities of titles"

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Mar 24, 2022 09:11 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).