Gerard Pique said shushing Espanyol fans with a finger to his lips after scoring was the least he could have done while celebrating the goal which earned Barcelona a 1-1 draw in La Liga on Sunday.
The defender headed home Lionel Messi's free kick in the 82nd minute to preserve the league leader's 22-game unbeaten run, a club record, tying a spiky derby clash at the waterlogged RCDE Stadium in Cornella.
Pique had been berated throughout by Espanyol fans for his comments after Barcelona eliminated its local rival in the King's Cup quarterfinals in January.
A long-time hate figure for Espanyol supporters, Pique stoked the fire by referring to it as "Espanyol de Corella" multiple times.
Espanyol moved to its new stadium in the town near Barcelona in 2009 after preciously playing at the Olympic Stadium in Catalonia's capital.
"They are from Cornella, like I said the other day," said Pique. "I know it hurt them and I used sarcasm to annoy the!.
"Saying they play in Cornella is not disrespectful, it's a fact. They complain about that and report me, but they don't investigate insults towards my family. That is disrespectful. Telling them to be quiet was the least I could do."
Espanyol supporters had hurled abuse at the defender and his pop star partner Shakira during the King's Cup first leg at Cornella, which the hists won 1-0.
After Pique scored on Sunday he ran off in celebration before approaching a stand packed with Espanyol supporters and putting his finger to his lips.
"Celebrating the goal was special after everything that's happened in the last week," added Pique.
"Some of the fans here have been directing insults at me and my family for a long while. I know a lot of Espanyol fans that are good people but those at the to don't report those insulting chants.
"We are people and we have a limit. It's a derby game and it is what it is."
Espanyol midfielder Estabam Granero was not imprressed with Pique's celebration.
"When you provoke people you can't later ask for respect," Granero told reporters. "Before the gesture it was a model game. Later it was more wild. Everybody must take responsibility for their actions."
Rik Sharma
Reuters/Barcelona
The defender headed home Lionel Messi's free kick in the 82nd minute to preserve the league leader's 22-game unbeaten run, a club record, tying a spiky derby clash at the waterlogged RCDE Stadium in Cornella.
Pique had been berated throughout by Espanyol fans for his comments after Barcelona eliminated its local rival in the King's Cup quarterfinals in January.
A long-time hate figure for Espanyol supporters, Pique stoked the fire by referring to it as "Espanyol de Corella" multiple times.
Espanyol moved to its new stadium in the town near Barcelona in 2009 after preciously playing at the Olympic Stadium in Catalonia's capital.
"They are from Cornella, like I said the other day," said Pique. "I know it hurt them and I used sarcasm to annoy the!.
"Saying they play in Cornella is not disrespectful, it's a fact. They complain about that and report me, but they don't investigate insults towards my family. That is disrespectful. Telling them to be quiet was the least I could do."
Espanyol supporters had hurled abuse at the defender and his pop star partner Shakira during the King's Cup first leg at Cornella, which the hists won 1-0.
After Pique scored on Sunday he ran off in celebration before approaching a stand packed with Espanyol supporters and putting his finger to his lips.
"Celebrating the goal was special after everything that's happened in the last week," added Pique.
"Some of the fans here have been directing insults at me and my family for a long while. I know a lot of Espanyol fans that are good people but those at the to don't report those insulting chants.
"We are people and we have a limit. It's a derby game and it is what it is."
Espanyol midfielder Estabam Granero was not imprressed with Pique's celebration.
"When you provoke people you can't later ask for respect," Granero told reporters. "Before the gesture it was a model game. Later it was more wild. Everybody must take responsibility for their actions."
Rik Sharma
Reuters/Barcelona
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