arcelona captain Carles Puyol has played down the incident which saw Real Madrid defender Sergio Ramos confront him and Xavi in 'El Clasico'.

Ramos was shown a straight red card after scything down Lionel Messi in the 90th minute of Madrid's 5-0 defeat at the Nou Camp, and in the ensuing fracas between the rival teams Ramos put his hands into the faces of Barca duo Puyol and Xavi as they remonstrated with him.

However, Puyol, who was pushed to the floor by his fellow Spain international, made light of the incident, saying in AS: "These things happen in a game of football. I've gone to defend a team-mate of mine because it seemed a very tough tackle.

"They are moments of high tension, but what happens on the pitch stays on the pitch. I have a very good relationship with Sergio Ramos and it's already forgotten, I have more important things to think about."

Puyol added: "There are always different piques with the players from Madrid because they are our biggest rivals. Put it's a pique on the field of play. We have many friends in the other camp."

Regarding the match, which saw Barca move two points above previously-unbeaten Madrid at the top of the table with their fifth successive Clasico win, Puyol said: "I didn't expect a thrashing like that. But when you least expect it, it can happen. Now we need to enjoy this victory.

"We had a very complete game and played very well. We started very aggressively, playing our football and everything went perfectly."