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Real Madrid manager, Carlo Ancelotti criticised the refereeing performance during his side’s 1-1 draw with Manchester City in the first leg of their Champions League semi-final. The match was officiated by Artur Dias, a Portuguese referee who has been officiating European matches since 2010.
However, despite his experience, Ancelotti felt like the occasion was too big for him and that he got a couple of key decisions wrong throughout the game. One particular incident that irked the Italian was in the build-up to City’s equaliser when the ball appeared to go out of play for a throw-in, only for Dias to wave play on.
Shortly after, Kevin de Bruyne fired the ball into the back of the net and City had drawn level during a period in the match where Los Blancos were firmly on top and in control. Despite Ancelotti’s protests after the goal, which earned him a yellow card, Dias refused to consult with VAR about the possibility of the ball being out of play. Speaking about the incident, Ancelotti said:
“The ball was off the pitch. The technology said it. I don’t understand why VAR didn’t check it. The referee didn’t pay attention to many things tonight.”
🚨🎙️ Carlo Ancelotti: “Silva's ball went out and I saw it but I don't understand why the referee didn’t check VAR.” pic.twitter.com/7ADI0A6S6j
— Madrid Zone (@theMadridZone) May 9, 2023
A satisfied Italian
Although Ancelotti was unhappy with the referee’s performance at the Santiago Bernabeu, he was pleased with how his team had managed the game. Despite coming under early pressure, Real Madrid weathered the storm and took the lead through a thunderous strike from Vinicius Jr.
From then onwards, Real Madrid were the better side and will be disappointed to have lost the match. Speaking about the performance of his players, Ancelotti said:
“It was a good game, an interesting game. Difficult for us in the first half, but in the second half it was much better. They controlled possession in the first half but we were in good control defensively and when we started to play the ball we created a lot of difficulties.
You have to stay calm, you have to keep the position defensively, do not go crazy to press, stay there and play the low block, and when we had the opportunity we scored the first goal. Vinicius is in a fantastic moment but the team played well. I am satisfied, with a good sensation about the game on Wednesday.”
Vinícius Jr that is special 🤩
Real Madrid lead Man City at the Bernabéu!#UCL pic.twitter.com/IGZsfONGu1
— Football on BT Sport (@btsportfootball) May 9, 2023
Looking ahead to the second leg
With everything to play for going into the second leg at the Etihad Stadium next Wednesday, Guardiola and Ancelotti will both have high hopes. For City, they know that a home victory will send them through to the Champions League final and they are likely to play more expansively after some criticsm around Guardiola’s approach to the first leg.
For Madrid, they will be more confident now than they would have been before a ball was kicked. They got the better of City for large parts of the match and contained Erling Haaland fantastically well. Although Guardiola’s men will surely be better next week, Real Madrid are extremely dangerous on the counter-attack and the setup of the game could benefit Los Blancos.
The game is effectively a final, which has been noted by Pep Guardiola and Real Madrid goalkeeper, Thibaut Courtois. Both teams have great records in finals so it all looks set up to be a mouthwatering fixture.
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