There’s late drama and then there’s late chaos.
And what happened inside the Santiago Bernabeu on Wednesday night definitely falls into the latter category as Real Madrid needed a late Cristiano Ronaldo penalty to avoid extra time against a lively Juventus side.
The pre-match instructions from manager Zinedine Zidane to his Real players would have been clear – JUST DON’T CONCEDE THREE GOALS.
Well his advice didn’t quite work out as the La Liga outfit saw their 3-0 lead from last week cut back to an aggregate of 3-3 after Juve scored three unanswered goals before the hour mark.
Did he deserve to see red? https://t.co/uvObARg7ff
— FootballJOE (@FootballJOE) April 11, 2018
With the scoreline finely poised, one goal was going to make all the difference and it came in fiercely intense circumstances after referee Michael Oliver pointed to the spot, having spotted a foul when Lucas Vasquez was felled in the six yard box.
Juventus’ goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon took umbrage with the decision and remonstrated aggressively, only to be shown a red card for his protest.
While scuffles were separated and players were urged to regain their composure on the pitch, it sounds like tempers had also spilled over in the press box.
According to BT Sport commentator Darren Fletcher and AP reporter Rob Harris, an altercation between reporters from Spain and Italy in the press area resulted in some media members being removed.
British broadcaster BT says media thrown out of Bernabéu press box after Italian & Spanish media argued
— Rob Harris (@RobHarris) April 11, 2018
You know Buffon is beloved when even Italian journalists are prepared to scrap for his honour!
