De Zerbi slams Real penalty, Benatia recalls Juve déjà vu | OneFootball

Marseille leaves the Bernabeu with their heads held high, but with a touch of bitterness. Roberto De Zerbi's men, after taking the lead with former Juventus player Timothy Weah, played on par with Real Madrid for 90 minutes, despite the home team being reduced to ten men from the 72nd minute due to Carvajal's expulsion.

Olympique Marseille, De Zerbi furious: “Shameful Real penalty”. Benatia recalls the déjà vu with Juve in 2018

The match was decided by two penalties converted by Kylian Mbappé, with the second awarded for a handball by Facundo Medina that sparked controversy.

The contested penalty: De Zerbi's point of view

The Argentine defender had dived to block a shot from Vinicius and, after deflecting the ball, it ended up on his arm while he was still on the ground. The referee blew for the penalty, a decision De Zerbi did not accept: “What do I think of the second penalty awarded to Real Madrid? It is unjustified. It is shameful. And I would have said the same if it had been in my favor. Incredible…”, declared the Brescia coach in a press conference.

De Zerbi added: “It is never a penalty. And after the match against Real Sociedad, everyone talked about the injustice against Real…”.

Benatia and the déjà vu of 2018

Mehdi Benatia, Marseille's sporting director, added fuel to the fire. The former Juventus defender recalled a similar episode in the 2018 Champions League quarter-finals when Real Madrid faced Juve and won thanks to a contested penalty on Lucas Vázquez. That penalty infuriated Gigi Buffon, who was then sent off, and he described the referee Michael Oliver as “someone who has a trash can instead of a heart”.

Benatia commented: “It is a difficult penalty to accept, but I have already experienced it. I have the same feeling”.

Real Madrid and the penalty record in the Champions League

In Spain, the incident caused a stir. Mundo Deportivo recalls that Real Madrid holds the record for penalties awarded in the Champions League, 63 in total. The attitude towards penalties in the Cup seems different compared to La Liga.

Even former referees like Mateu Lahoz have expressed their opinion: “The defender did what he had to do. His foot was blocked and the arm was used to maintain balance. It was in a natural position. For me, there should never have been a penalty. It is clear and evident”.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇮🇹 here.