Real Madrid News
Real Madrid will not ask UEFA for an explanation for Man City’s illegal goal – report
Real Madrid were held to a 1-1 draw by Manchester City in the first leg of the UEFA Champions League semifinals.
The result handed sort of a blow to the reigning European champions, who must secure a win at Etihad next week if they are to book tickets for the Champions League final.
Controversy ensued in the first leg when Real Madrid conceded an equaliser in the 67th minute, with Kevin de Bruyne launching a simmering strike just outside the edge of the penalty area.
However, during the build-up to the goal, the ball appeared to be out of play, even though Bernardo Silva had tried his best to keep it in. The referees or the linesmen did not notice the error, and even VAR did not review it after de Bruyne’s goal.
Carlo Ancelotti had raised issues with the goal on the touchline but was shown a yellow card. But as revealed by Anton Meana (h/t Madrid Xtra), Real Madrid have not asked UEFA for an explanation regarding the de Bruyne goal and have decided to bury the hatchet.
This comes against the backdrop of UEFA reportedly offering an explanation as to why de Bruyne’s goal was allowed. They argued that even though the ball was out of play, Real Madrid had won the ball back momentarily. Therefore, it was labelled as a new passage of play.
Real Madrid, for their part, are now focusing ahead on the second leg, to be played next week. With a win now a necessity, it is now up to Carlo Ancelotti to rally his troops and motivate them ahead of the tie at the Etihad Stadium.
The Italian manager has come up with a three-point plan to beat Man City, but whether or not it comes to fruition remains to be seen.
Cristiano Ronaldo’s move to Saudi Arabia has triggered a wave of massive establishment within the country so much so that the league has approached players like Lionel Messi, Sergio Busquets, Sergio Ramos and even Karim Benzema.
Benzema’s departure from Real Madrid is imminent and if a report from Diaro AS is to be believed, the Frenchman contacted his former Madrid teammate, Ronaldo, to ask him for information about the Saudi league, living conditions and other teams.
All this because it is said that the legendary Frenchman has received a lucrative offer from the newly crowned Saudi Pro League champions Al Ittihad. As reported before, the star striker will earn more than €100 million per year across his two-year contract with the Saudi team.
At the moment, the Saudi government has approved all of Benzema’s requests and while it is said that he can join the team of his choice, Al Ittihad’s recent flirting had made them absolute favourites.
That said, the transfer may have taken a u-turn recently, as Benzema spoke about staying at Real Madrid for the foreseeable future.
“Speak to the fans? Speak about what? Why should I speak of the future if I’m in Madrid?”, Benzema said.
“It’s the internet speaking, and reality is not the internet.”
In a recent turn of events, Helder Costa openly spoke about Benzema’s arrival, saying that his team is ‘excited about the arrival of the Balon d’Or winner.’ As if that is not enough, a club fan also showed a Karim Benzema edit on the big screen during their title celebrations.
Meanwhile, since the transfer is not confirmed, Real Madrid continue to be uninformed of Benzema’s decision. And this remains a major problem for the team from the capital city as their summer transfer plan hinges on the continuity of the Frenchman.
At the moment, the team is said to be closing in on the signing of Joselu from Espanyol. However, it must be noted that the forward will only be arriving on a season-long loan as Madrid already have big plans for the summer of 2024, with Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappe both lined up.
