Fans of Manchester City caused a delay of about 40 seconds before the woeful penalty of Bernardo Silva during the shootout against Real Madrid, a pause that has been pointed as a contributor to Pep Guardiola’s side’s defeat.
The encounter which was keenly contested at the Etihad, involved two managers exuding their tactical know-how.
Contrasting styles for the two teams, with Manchester City domineering in possession, while Real Madrid were solid in defense and rapid on the break.
Manchester City Vs Real Madrid Clash was settled via penalties
It took the lottery of penalties to settle the affair, and the Cityzens were looking in a good position after Julian Alvarez had poked them ahead.
Luka Modric stepped up for Real Madrid, however, he failed to convert his spot-kick, with Ederson diving in the right direction.
Bernardo Silva stepped up to play the second penalty on the night for Manchester City, but he fired his attempt straight at Andriy Lunin, while Mateo Kovacic also failed to put the ball in the back of the net.
Why did Manchester City fans delay the penalty of Bernardo Silva?
The delay occurred before Silva’s penalty, with fans of the Sky Blues possibly doing such antics to trouble Real Madrid.
The ball was held in the crowd and Manchester City fans didn’t want to give it back quickly and in due time.
Unfortunately for them, it proved counterproductive, as Bernardo Silva missed from the spot.
Referee Daniele Orasto had requested a new ball before fans who held onto it returned it back onto the pitch.
Silva looked nervous as he took the spot-kick and that might have had an effect in him missing the opportunity.
The ball went into the crowd after it was hoofed into the stands by Luka Modric after he missed his spot-kick.
Rio Ferdinand and Joleon Lescott offer their thoughts over the Bernardo Silva penalty delay
Anyway, Manchester United great Rio Ferdinand, whilst working as a pundit for TNT Sport expressed that it was fans of Bernardo Silva that caused the delay, with ex-Manchester City player Joleon Lescott also sharing that it would have affected the preparations of the player.
Lescott said: “It would have taken him out of sync, the routine, technique. It is a long time, you start thinking. It is a soft penalty.”
Bernardo Silva cut a frustrated figure whilst waiting for the ball, as he was seen gesticulating with his arms before rushing to claim the ball after it returned back to the turf.
Some fans also reacted to the incident, with one asking about the state of mind of the fan who held the ball, particularly after seeing Silva miss the spot-kick.
He said on X (formerly known as Twitter): “How must the Man City fan who kept hold of the ball before Bernardo Silva’s penalty be feeling now?
Another added: “City fans not giving the ball back to Bernardo Silva will go down in history – if football fans did own goals.”
Meanwhile, Rodrygo had put Real Madrid ahead in the 12th minute, before Kevin De Bruyne equalized later on for Manchester City in the 76th minute.
Both teams battled through regulation time and extra time, with penalties ultimately needed to settle it, with Los Blancos triumphing 4-3 on penalties.
Real Madrid face Bayern Munich in the semi-finals of the 2023/24 UEFA Champions League, and if they overcome Thomas Tuchel’s side they will face either Paris Saint Germain or Borussia Dortmund in the final.
Martin Odegaard Screams At Officials in Arsenal’s Second Leg UEFA Champions League Quarter-final Clash Against Bayern Munich
Moreover, Martin Odegaard was seen lashing out at officials after Arsenal were denied a later corner in their quarter-final defeat to Bayern Munich.
Mikel Arteta’s side fell to a 1-0 defeat to the Bavarian giants at the Allianz Arena, ultimately losing 3-2 on aggregate, after playing out a 2-2 draw in London in the reverse fixture.
Just like the first installment where Bukayo Saka had a shout for a penalty, Odegaard also felt that his side should have been handed a late corner.
Why was Odegaard requesting for a corner kick?
Martin Odegaard ran deep into the Bayern Munich penalty area before hitting an effort at goal, which did appear to have deflected off the body of Manuel Neuer and Eric Dier.
However, neither the referee nor his assistants spotted the deflections and to the dismay and shock of the former Real Madrid man, a goal kick was awarded to Bayern Munich.
Captain Odegaard immediately let out his feelings at the decision, screaming towards the linesman and he also held up the number two with his fingers, indicating that the ball had deflected off the Bayern players.
Anyway, the referee and his assistants were defiant to his protest, and Arsenal fell to a defeat in Germany, after missing a flurry of opportunities to equalize and even win the encounter.
The Gunners have lost in back-to-back games for the first time in 2024, and they will be focusing their attention on the league for the remainder of matches.
They have failed to qualify for the Club World Cup in 2025, having stumbled in the quarter-finals of the UEFA Champions League and the league crown is almost looking lost at this point.
It will be interesting to see how they bounce back to winning ways under the leadership of Mikel Arteta.
