The coup of former Racing and his dialogue with CR7 after the sanction
Atlético Madrid struck the blow at Old Trafford: they defeated Manchester United 1-0 and advanced to the Champions League quarterfinals. goal was scored by the Brazilian Renán Lodi, after a play that began in a long pass by Rodrigo de Paul, one of the great figures of the match.
The 27-year-old former Racing and Udinese midfielder was the second footballer on the field to play the most balls (59, behind only the Mexican Herrera), recovered five balls, and had 82% accuracy in passing. In addition, he was the one with the most shots in the goal of his team (two, one of them led to a great save from De Gea) and the one who completed the most passes in the last third of the court (7).
In addition, the champion of the last Copa America with the Argentine national team staged a particular duel with Cristiano Ronaldo. At the end of the first half, De Paul committed an offense against the Portuguese side. The striker jumped as if the foul had been violent, although it didn't seem.
The referee immediately showed him the yellow card, but even before protesting him, the steering wheel began to chase CR7, making gestures with his hand, as if marking him that he exaggerated. The legend former Real Madrid and Juventus dodged it and started running, but De Paul did not abdicate, always with a wry smile. “I didn't touch you, I didn't touch you, don't cry,” he said, repeatedly.
However, the sanction had already been decreed. In the end, the one who celebrated was the Argentine, while Cristiano, 37, suffered the same fate as other stars such as Lionel Messi or Neymar, who also fell on the road in the round of 16 of the most prestigious club level competition in Europe.
The video with Rodrigo's kick and reaction became viral, spurred by the fans of the National Team, who remembered the friendship of the steering wheel with Lionel Messi, antagonist of CR7 for the past 15 years.
After the fall, Ronaldo left for the locker room in silence, shaking his head in disbelief: he had bet a lot on his return to United, to fight the Champions League again, something that did not happen.
“It was a very stable match, very regular. We must absolutely highlight collective work. It was fantastic. For the club, being in the top eight is fantastic. Talking about a single player would not be good because it was a general effort. The team knew what they had to do in the face of the recovery of the ball. They are a team with a lot of individualities. They are very good, but too messy to generate good pressure at the exit. The team succeeded and suffered what has to be suffered against Manchester United in the second round of Champions League,” Cholo Simeone analyzed what happened.
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