Was it a penalty? Probably. Was Michael Oliver right to send off Gianluigi Buffon? Probably. Did Real Madrid get out of jail against Juventus? Absolutely!
Los Blancos were completely outplayed throughout the second leg of their quarterfinal by the Bianconeri and yet fate conspired to send them spinning out of the Champions League in controversial circumstances.
History will show us that Cristiano Ronaldo was again the man for the big occasion, but the truth is, as on so many occasions, he did nothing else of note in the entire game.
He may be ‘the best striker in the world,’ but to perpetuate the myth that he’s the best player is entirely wrong.
Max Allegri had ensured his players got their game plan spot on. To a man, Juve were better than their Real counterparts in all areas and certainly the three goals scored by the Italians didn’t flatter them.
In many respects, this game once again showed up Zinedine Zidane’s tactical naivety. Throughout 2017/18 at the Santiago Bernabeu, the Frenchman hasn’t been able to affect the dynamics of a game.
Had this one gone to extra-time, Juve still had two substitutes to use. As it was, one of those had to be Wojciech Szczesny, once Buffon had been red carded.
To that point, there was more than enough evidence to suggest that the Old Lady were going to be the first side in European Cup history to come back from a three-goal deficit away from home, and then go through to the next round.
Gareth Bale didn’t deserve to be hooked at half-time, and his substitution is the clearest indication that Zidane no longer trusts him in the big games.
It would therefore be a huge surprise if he weren’t to depart for the Premier League in the summer.
Perhaps Keylor Navas will be following him out of the exit door after another howler left Los Blancos on the brink.
With Sergio Ramos out of the side, and potentially banned because of his foray into the tunnel area, the hosts also looked incredibly brittle at the back.
Dani Carvajal was easily beaten for the two opening goals, and Jesus Vallejo, despite the fanfare that greeted his return from a loan at Eintracht Frankfurt, was well out of his depth. He too will be on his way at season’s end.
Raphael Varane did what he could, but it’s clear how important Ramos is to his back four and his team in general. That incredible desire and will to win is infectious and permeates throughout the squad.
The much-lauded midfield were well off the pace too, and with all of their eggs in the Champions League basket, it will be a disaster if Real don’t ‘three peat.’
They might have their name on the trophy again, but in order to make that a reality, they’ll need to do much, much more than the fare that was provided on Wednesday night.
