Jude Bellingham was one of the Real Madrid players who vented his anger at the referee at full time during Wednesday’s Champions League semi-final defeat to Bayern Munich. Until the 89th minute, both teams were level on aggregate, but two quick goals from the hosts cost Real Madrid a place in the last four.
Luis Diaz fired in from the edge of the box, while fellow former Premier League ace Michael Olise added sparkle to the game with a stunning strike late in stoppage time. This happened after the visitors’ squad was reduced to 10 players due to an unnecessary second yellow card for Eduardo Camavinga.
Real Madrid players took exception to the referee’s decision at the final whistle, and several, including Bellingham, were seen reprimanding him. The water continued to bubble as the players made their way to the tunnel, and Arda Güler was shown a red card for protesting.
Álvaro Arbeloa added fuel to the fire in his post-match press conference, telling TNT Sports: “It all ended with a red card… This act is unbelievable, unbelievable. It can’t happen in a match like this. We are really upset. This is all unfair…”
“I feel very bad for the players, but at the same time I’m very proud of them, because they gave it their all. They played very well and gave it their all, but sadly it wasn’t meant to be. We’ll be back.”
Bayern Munich held the lead in the second leg, but a mistake from Manuel Neuer led to a goal from the Turkish international within 40 seconds and they were caught up early on. Bayern quickly fought back, but Güler was on target again, this time scoring from a free kick, giving Spain the lead again on the night.
Harry Kane then found the back of the net in a fast-paced game, before Kylian Mbappe leveled the score at 4-4 on aggregate before the half-time break. That lasted until the embers of the match, when Dias and Oliseh propelled the Bundesliga’s all-time champions into the last four.
Vincent Kompany’s side will be rewarded with a juicy encounter with reigning European champions Paris Saint-Germain in the semi-finals. Meanwhile, on the other side of the bracket, Atletico Madrid and Arsenal will face off for a place in next month’s Champions League final.
