Carlo Ancelotti’s brutal response to Real Madrid star sums up full headloss at Arsenal
Eduardo Camavinga was shown a red card in injury time of Arsenal’s Champions League quarter-final win over Real Madrid, with manager Carlo Ancelotti looking away
Carlo Ancelotti was left gobsmacked and couldn’t even face Eduardo Camavinga after the Real Madrid ace’s meltdown resulted in a red card against Arsenal.
The Gunners had already sealed the deal in the first leg, with a 3-0 lead as the match neared its end.
But things took a nosedive when Camavinga lost his cool and petulantly booted the ball away as the clock ticked down. Having been booked earlier, the French star was sent packing before the final whistle could even sound. Camavinga was already out of the next game due to racking up too many yellows, but that didn’t stop boss Ancelotti from fuming.
“Talk about a loss of discipline. Right here is a prime example,” blasted ex-Arsenal man Matt Upson on BBC Radio 5 Live.
“Carlo Ancelotti looks the other way as Eduardo Camavinga walks down the tunnel. It is a head loss moment and the referee has no option but to send him off.”
Madrid rocked up in north London aiming to snatch a first-leg advantage to cart back to the Bernabeu and shake off the sting of a La Liga letdown against Valencia. But after holding firm in the first half, Arsenal went berserk post-break, banging in three goals in just 17 minutes to take a stranglehold on the tie, reports the Mirror.
Declan Rice became the talk of the town for Arsenal, smashing in two sensational free-kicks that sent the quarter-final against Real Madrid into a tailspin. Mikel Merino added insult to injury with a third, putting the Gunners in the driving seat for their trip to Spain.
Rice was sharp to highlight there had been no complacency heading into the rematch, as crestfallen Madrid lads weren’t throwing in the towel just yet.
Lucas Vazquez clung onto hopes of a miracle: “It’s complicated, of course, but if there’s a team in the world that can turn this around, it’s us. In our stadium, with our fans. It’s going to be a different game than this one, and together we’ll pull it out.”
Raul Asencio got real about the mood in the Madrid camp post-defeat: “We’re p***ed off, it wasn’t what we expected, but we’re convinced we’re capable of turning it around, we’re Real Madrid, and we’re already positive about that.”
When quizzed on how they could salvage the situation, the Madrid sticker defended: “By being a team, working hard, changing our attitude. But if there’s any team in the world that can turn this around, it’s us. I’m convinced, and the team is convinced, that we’re going to turn this around.”
Arsenal may boast a flawless track record in European clashes when three goals ahead, but Declan Rice has issued a stark reminder not to get complacent about the hurdle ahead. Rice warned: “Even if we’re 3-0 up the individual quality they have is scary. At the Bernabeu special things happen for them. We want to be in the Champions League semi-finals.”
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