Man City beat Real Madrid in their Champions League semi-final first leg but the away side’s penalty decision sparked talk from Pep Guardiola post-match
It was back in 2019 when Tottenham made it to the Champions League final and nearly ended their trophy drought. Their road to the final, where they lost to Liverpool, was not an easy one and there was more than one moment where it looked as if Mauricio Pochettino’s side would take an early exit out of the competition.
After finishing six points behind Barcelona in second place of their Champions League group, Tottenham beat Borussia Dortmund 4-0 over two legs in the round of 16. They then faced Manchester City in the quarter-final stage of the competition.
The first leg of the tie saw Spurs go 1-0 up with a 78th minute goal from Son Heung-min and it meant Pochettino’s side had the advantage, going into the game at the Etihad Stadium. It didn’t take long for Pep Guardiola’s side to bounce back, as Raheem Sterling found the back of the net for the first time in the match, inside the first five minutes.
Three minutes later and Son took Tottenham level. It was in the 73rd minute that things started heating up. Fernando Llorente found the back of the net for Spurs, but the goal was checked by VAR, after a potential call for hand ball. After looking at the replay, referee Cuneyt Cakir let the goal stand, as the ball hit Llorente on the thigh, rather than his hand.
To make matters worse for Man City, Sterling had a goal ruled out by VAR in injury time, as Sergio Aguero was offside, ending Guardiola’s hopes of taking his side to the semi-final. The game ended 4-4 on aggregate, sending Tottenham through on away goals.
Guardiola had his say on the decision, after the game in 2019. “I support VAR but maybe from one angle Fernando Llorente’s goal is handball, maybe from the referee’s angle it is not,” he explained. “I am for fair football, for fair decisions. The referees must be helped sometimes. When it is offside, it is offside. What can I say?” Guardiola added on his side’s disallowed goal.
Fast forward three years and Man City are again competing in the Champions League and beat Real Madrid 4-3, in the first leg of the semi-final, in a simply stunning contest at the Etihad on Tuesday. However, it was yet another game that wasn’t as straight forward as the Spanish boss would’ve hoped.
His side won the game but only managed a one-goal lead, as Aymeric Laporte’s hand ball in the 82nd minute gave away a penalty, which Karim Benzema scored with an audacious ‘Panenka’ spot-kick over Ederson. There is still another leg to play in the semi-final, but Guardiola’s presence on the sideline highlighted his frustration.
During his post-match interview, he praised his side but didn’t forget to mention that Champions League game against Tottenham, despite it being a few years ago. “It is what it is,” the 51-year-old said on the penalty incident
“We got knocked out of the Champions League against Tottenham with a similar decision, today for us it was a handball so it has happened to us, but these situations happen and we have to understand it and in this competition, it can decide games. This competition is about details. All we can do is perform. After the opponents are so good. Real Madrid punish you.
“What we have done with and without the ball, I cannot ask anything else. I say to players, rest, Leeds is the most important thing, after we go to Madrid to win.”
As the City boss alludes to, his side travel to Elland Road on Saturday to play Leeds, with a much needed three points up for grabs in their battle for the Premier League title. Guardiola will then have another few days to rest and work with his side, before travelling to the Bernabeu Stadium, where he will hope there isn’t a repeat of the Tottenham clash in 2019 and his side can finally reach the final of the premier European competition.
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