Carlo Ancelotti was booked for his protestations during the game (Pictures: beIN SPORTS)
A new image from Tuesday’s Champions League semi-final showdown between Real Madrid and Manchester City appears to suggest the ball went out of play before Kevin De Bruyne’s equaliser.
Pep Guardiola’s side made a strong start to the first-leg clash at the Bernabeu but fell behind to a marvellous goal from Vinicius Junior, who powered the ball into the top corner from the edge of the area.
That was Real’s only shot in the first half but they enjoyed large spells of dominance in the second period, though were undone by a quick transition from City which ended with De Bruyne rifling the ball past Thibaut Courtois to secure a 1-1 draw.
Real were not happy with the goal, however, with the Spanish giants adamant the ball had gone out of play shortly before the City playmaker found the back of the net.
A pass down the line from Kyle Walker appeared to be kept in play rather nimbly by Bernardo Silva right on the touchline, though several Real players stopped and Carlo Ancelotti appealed for a throw-in.
Silva’s pass infield found Ruben Dias, who offloaded to De Bruyne, and the Belgian’s initial cross was blocked by Luka Modric and he was then robbed by Eduardo Camavinga.
The Frenchman tried to launch a counter – which arguably created a new phase of play – but Rodri nabbed possession and offloaded to Jack Grealish, who in turn found Ilkay Gundogan, before the midfielder laid the ball back to De Bruyne to score around 20 seconds after the ball may or may not have gone out of play.
The 3D image appears to show the ball went out of play (Picture: beIN SPORTS)
Ancelotti was seen saying ‘the ball was out’ to the referee and was booked for his protestations, though it appears he may have had a case.
Although there is no single definitive shot which proves whether the ball went out or not, broadcaster beIN SPORTS have used multiple camera angles from inside the stadium to create a 3D projection – and it would appear the whole ball did cross the line by millimetres.
Reacting to the images, studio guest Arsene Wenger said the officials would not have had the tools to check if the ball went out or not: ‘It is a typical situation of do we go [to the VAR]. The VAR normally should check if the goal is regular or not.
‘In a situation like that they have to intervene.
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‘They did not go far enough back to check if the ball was out or not, or they did not have the potential to check if the ball was out or not.
‘I think I would go for the second [option] because normally the VAR cannot check on the side-line, only on the goal-line.’
Asked about the incident at his post-match press conference, Ancelotti said: ‘It was out. It’s not just me saying it, it’s technology saying it. I think it’s strange. I don’t understand why they did not use VAR.’
On his yellow card, the Italian added to BT Sport: ‘I don’t know why [I was booked]. I was not on the pitch. I think he could give a yellow card to the player not the manager.’
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Carlo Ancelotti was booked for his protestations during the game.