Carlo Ancelotti was booked for his protestations during Tuesday’s Champions League semi-final showdown between Real Madrid and Manchester City, after the Spanish giants were undone by a quick transition from City which ended with Kevin De Bruyne rifling the ball past Thibaut Courtois to secure a 1-1 draw. Real were adamant the ball had gone out of play shortly before the City playmaker found the back of the net, and a 3D image appears to suggest they may have had a case. The image, created by broadcaster beIN SPORTS using multiple camera angles from inside the stadium, would appear to show the whole ball did cross the line by millimetres.
Reacting to the images, studio guest Arsene Wenger said the officials would not have had the tools to check if the ball went out or not: ‘It is a typical situation of do we go [to the VAR]. The VAR normally should check if the goal is regular or not. In a situation like that they have to intervene. They did not go far enough back to check if the ball was out or not, or they did not have the potential to check if the ball was out or not. I think I would go for the second [option] because normally the VAR cannot check on the side-line, only on the goal-line.’
Asked about the incident at his post-match press conference, Ancelotti said: ‘It was out. It’s not just me saying it, it’s technology saying it. I think it’s strange. I don’t understand why they did not use VAR.’ On his yellow card, the Italian added to BT Sport: ‘I don’t know why [I was booked]. I was not on the pitch. I think he could give a yellow card to the player not the manager.’ Real Madrid and Manchester City are now all square in a finely poised Champions League semi-final, with Jude Bellingham having agreed a deal to join Real Madrid this summer. For more stories like this, check our sport page. Follow Metro Sport for the latest news on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.