Katie.Smithson wrote:
Id like to know how Alves faked that foul. Unless the laws of Physics are wrong, how can someone, who is off balance, with their right leg leading forward, twist their body in the opposite direction like that if there was no contact?
Contact or not, it wasn't Pepe who was late with that challenge, it was Alves. Pepe won the ball.
If Alves had won the ball and Pepe had hit him late then it would have been a worthy red card offence.
Watching the game I didn't even think there was a sending off in that incident until the ref pulled out the card. The commentators weren't mentioning it as being a sending off offence. I doubt the hordes of Barca players running in were thinking it was a red, they were probably just making sure he got a yellow.
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The only tactics I think Mourinho got wrong was after the red card. He should have killed off the game at that point. Maybe because of the league game though he thought Madrid could still get something from the game.
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I thought it was a dire game, but it's the tests that prove greatness. You don't judge greatness when it's smashing part timers 12-0, you judge greatness when they are faced with a strong side who don't allow you to play. Barca, when they do face difficulties, usually manage to get a few gifts coming their way from refs. I agree with Mourinho on that. I hope Barca do try and push for legal action against Mourinho for his comments. I think Real Madrid will defend their coach in a way that we shamefully didn't when Barca were being helped out before.