Two players did not want to take a penalty during the dramatic Champions League quarter-final shoot-out between Manchester City and Real Madrid, it has been claimed....CONTINUE READING
With the score 4-4 on aggregate after 210 minutes of action, the tie was to be decided on penalties at the Etihad Stadium.
Real would prevail 4-3 on spot-kicks following on from costly misses by Bernardo Silva and Mateo Kovacic.
Los Blancos had missed first when Ederson saved by from 38-year-old Luka Modric but Real converted every other effort after that.
Silva stepped up after Modric following a lengthy delay for the ball to be retrieved from the North Stand.
He opted to hit the ball down the middle and Andriy Lunin, with Kepa Arrizabalaga in his ear, stayed put and made a simple stop.
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Lunin also thwarted Mateo Kovacic – with the help of match-winner Antonio Rudiger.
The penalty choices on both sides were a tad surprising, particularly with City goalkeeper Ederson stepping up and calmly slotting home from 12 yards.
But it’s emerged that for Real, two players declined the opportunity to take a penalty.
MARCA say that both Federico Valverde and Eder Militao did not wish to assume spot-kick duties.
Uruguay international Valverde, scorer of a superb volley in the first leg, would have been one of the primary candidates to take a penalty.
However he was struggling with tiredness and was not in the five takers.
In addition, Eder Militao also did not want a penalty despite only coming on as a substitute in the 110th minute.
It’s claimed that the former Porto man was not confident facing his Brazil teammate Ederson, who he knows very well.
Instead, subs Modric and Lucas Vazquez were both selected – the latter doing the business after coolly doing kick-ups.
14-time European champions Real will now meet Bayern Munich in the semi-finals.
