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18th April 2024
08:22am BST
Football fans think they spotted some 'mind games' by Luka Modric which played a crucial part in Manchester City's penalty shootout defeat to Real Madrid. Some also reckon that despite being a substiute goalkeeper, that Kepa Arrizabalaga played his part in the win.
City were taking on Real at the Etihad in the second leg of their Champions League quarter final on Wednesday night, with Los Blancos triumphing 4-3 on penalties after the tie finished 4-4 on aggregate.
After a thrilling first leg which finished 3-3, it was a nervier affair in Manchester as Pep Guardiola's side tried to keep up the defence of their European crown.
Rodrygo had put 14-time champions Real Madrid ahead in the first half, before Kevin De Bruyne equalised in the second half. In the end, there was nothing to separate the two sides, and the game went to penalties.
It was advantage City after Julian Alvarez scored his spot kick and Real's Modric missed his.
This then gave Bernardo Silva the chance to put City 2-0 up in the shootout. But he fluffed his lines after trying to put his penalty down the middle, only to see goalkeeper Andriy Lunin not move and simply catch the ball in his hands.
Whilst praise should be given to Lunin for calling Silva's bluff and saving the penalty, some viewers noticed Modric's actions after his penalty miss, and reckoned he played a significant part as well.
Before Silva's penalty, there was a delay in getting the ball back from the fans behind the goal. This meant the Portuguese player had to wait longer than usual to take his penalty, allowing his nerves to build up.
Fans at home noticed that Modric was the one who had booted the ball into the crowd after his penalty, and reckoned this was a deliberate ploy from the Croatian to "ice" his opponent.
In a post on social media, one person wrote: "Small little detail from the shootout... Modrić misses his penalty and boots the ball to the stands. It takes too long for Bernardo Silva to get the ball in his hands. Ball boys, where you at? That was a turning point in the shootout.
"Kicker iced. At home."
Another said: "Is no one going to talk about how Modric kicked the ball in the stands after his missed penalty??? Effectively delayed Bernardo 30-45 seconds waiting for the ball back from the crowd who ultimately missed. Mind games…."
A third wrote: "Modric done well booting the ball in the crowd. Bernardo Silva had all that time. It was a few seconds but for him it must have felt like an eternity for him. Mind games are a big thing in footy."
Real Madrid will now take on Bayern Munich in the Champions League semi finals as they continue their quest for a 15th European crown.
Meanwhile, fans also reckon sub goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga played his part in the triumph too, with advice surrounding a penalty from Bernardo Silva.
Bayern beat Arsenal 3-2 on aggregate in Wednesday's other semi final, with a Joshua Kimmich goal giving them a 1-0 win on the night at the Allianz Arena.
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