At Anfield we saw the best of Real Madrid as they destroyed Liverpool 5-2 to to all but eliminate them from Champions League.
But on Saturday in the Madrid Derby we saw the other side of Real, The unpredictable side that has struggled this season finding consistency and that struggle was evident again this weekend as they drew 1-1 to a 10 man Atletico Madrid side
After the match, Atletico Madrid boss Diego Simeone criticized Real Madrid star Antonio Rudiger for his role in Angel Correa’s Madrid derby red card.
Los Rojiblancos came away from the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu with a battling point as Alvaro Rodriguez’s late goal cancelled out Jose Gimenez’s opener.
On a night of few chances, both sides converted their one real opening in the Spanish capital, but the flashpoint between Correa and Rudiger was the main talking point.
Correa was dismissed by referee Gil Manzano just after the hour mark following an off the ball clash with Rudiger. Replays showed minor contact from Correa towards the German international, with his hand striking his chest, not his face, as Rudiger imitated.
Simeone was annoyed by the decision and claimed Rudiger’s actions ensured Correa’s dismissal with an appeal expected from Atletico in the coming days.
“The contact is not a hit. Rüdiger is 1.94m”, as per reports from Diario AS.
“A blow so brutal that he apparently had to sit down, but was quickly able to stand up.
“It could be a yellow, but if we send off a player for that, there would not be a player left on the field.”
If Correa’s ban is upheld by La Liga the Argentinian will miss the next three league games.
It almost feels like Real Madrid have already resigned to giving Barcelona the league while they focus on the Champions League. It’s a strategy that make sense as well since Los Blancos have a 12 point lead on fifth place in the league, making their place in next season’s Champions League secure, but this is a season that could also be an end of an era.
However, Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti is not ready to give up so soon on domestic trophies, not with three El Clasico’s in the coming weeks.
“It’s more complicated but it’s not goodbye to the title, we have to fight until the end, and see what happens”, as per reports from Marca.
Real Madrid will have a chance to disrupt Barcelona’s momentum in midweek, as they host their El Clasico rivals in a midweek Copa del Rey semi final first leg, before heading to Real Betis next weekend.
