Real Madrid 1-3 Juventus (4-3 on agg.): Late controversial penalty kick from Ronaldo sparks Buffon red card, wild ending
This match ended with so much controversy you won't believe it
Real Madrid avoided disaster against Juventus, advancing to the Champions League thanks to a controversial late penalty kick converted by Cristiano Ronaldo. After leading 3-0 after the first leg, Real was down 3-0 to Juventus in stoppage time when Lucas Vazquez was taken down in the box by Medhi Benatia. The ref gave the penalty kick, and Ronaldo converted it in the 98th-minute to see Real go through 4-3 on aggregate.
Here's what went down:
So entering this match, Real had such a comfortable lead that it seemed so unlikely that this would even be a game. Real was expected to score in the 90 minutes, which would mean Juve would have to score four. They couldn't do so, and the Italian club took advantage.
Early opener
Mario Mandzukic scored just two minutes in with a lovely header to give the visitors some hope:
Juventus needed an early goal and Mandzukic delivered!
— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) April 11, 2018
They lead 1-0 on the night, but Real Madrid still lead 3-1 on aggregate. pic.twitter.com/3X48J5C8hu
Got there
Mandzukic would score against with just under 10 minutes to go in the first half, and the comeback was on. And it was complete when Blaise Matuidi converted from close after a horrible blunder from Real goalkeeper Keylor Navas.
WHAT A GAME!
— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) April 11, 2018
Matuidi pounces on Keylor Navas' mistake to put Juventus up 3-0 on the night and pull them level at 3 on aggregate! pic.twitter.com/5lO1U28miK
Then, it happened
At 3-3, the match was on its way for extra time. One more goal from other team would likely be the winner, and though Real Madrid had some chances, a goal seemed unlikely. That is until Ronaldo headed down to Vazquez in the box. And the penalty was called, before things went bonkers:
Here's the penalty:
Drama, drama, drama!
— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) April 11, 2018
Here's another look at the penalty decision in stoppage time and the red card to Gigi Buffon. pic.twitter.com/BJHJd7rP08
Oh man, that's hard. Can you really call that penalty? It was a pretty soft penalty, and it was super late, but there is no denying there was contact.
As a result, Gianluigi Buffon goes nuts and gets a red card.
Backup goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny comes in to try and stop Ronaldo's potential winner, and Ronaldo doesn't miss:
Ronaldo always delivers!
— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) April 11, 2018
His stoppage-time penalty denies Juventus the epic comeback bid and sends Real Madrid to their 8th straight UCL semifinal. pic.twitter.com/cZEqE5ubas
So controversial, and a moment soccer fans will not soon forget, even Juventus fans who will want to. A crazy sequence of events, and Real is through to join Bayern Munich, Roma and Liverpool in the semifinals.
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