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Espanyol match-winner Carlos Romero has explained his ugly lunge on Real Madrid star Kylian Mbappe in their clash with the LaLiga champions (February 1). The defender brought down the forward with a cynical foul before scoring the decisive goal in the game.
Speaking to the press after the game, Romero admitted he was not proud of the foul and had apologized to the Frenchman.
“I knew it was impossible to stop Mbappe running. I stopped him as best I could, it was a bit ugly, I didn't like it and then I apologized to him," he said via Madrid Xtra):
Mbappe is enjoying a productive debut campaign with Real Madrid after joining on a free transfer from Paris Saint-Germain. The World Cup-winning forward has bagged 21 goals and three assists in 33 games across competitions and has seen an uptick of form of late.
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"We find it inexplicable that he did not show the red card” - Real Madrid manager furious Carlos Romero was not sent off for 'dangerous' tackle on Kylian Mbappe
Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti has expressed his fury at the refereeing in his side's defeat to Espanyol. Around the hour mark, Carlos Romero made a dangerous tackle on Kylian Mbappe but was shown only a yellow card. Romero would go on to score the match-winning goal in the 85th minute.
Ancelotti was far from pleased with the decision to leave the defender on the pitch after his tackle. Speaking to the press after the game, he said (via Managing Madrid):
“This foul is inexplicable, the decision taken by the referee and the VAR, everyone has seen it, the most important thing is to protect the player, it is a clear foul, a very ugly, dangerous tackle and fortunately nothing happened. The VAR is there for this. We find it inexplicable that he did not show the red card.”
Despite the defeat, Real Madrid remain atop the LaLiga table with a one-point advantage over second-placed Atletico Madrid. The Spanish giants next face their cross-town rivals on February 8 in a game that could have immense ramifications on the title race.
