Real Madrid captain Sergio Ramos has revealed that he was left unimpressed with Lionel Messi during the 2-2 draw with Barcelona on Sunday.
The Catalan giants have already been crowned league champions for this season, but the result was significant in that it preserved their unbeaten streak which now means they’re three games away from ending the campaign without a loss.
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In what was undoubtedly a feisty encounter which saw Sergi Roberto sent off and various other contentious incidents missed, there was also controversy over a penalty that wasn’t given for a foul on Marcelo after the interval, as seen in the video below.
Ramos revealed after the game that he saw Messi put pressure on the officials shortly after the half-time whistle sounded, and he seemingly believes that influenced their decisions in the second half.
“He put a little pressure in the tunnel, I do not know if there were cameras,” he is quoted as saying by The Express. “I do not know if in the second half he would have done it in other ways.
“It’s football and everything has to be left inside the field, as long as it’s not going to hurt you. You have to have that respect.”
Madrid evidently feel aggrieved that certain decisions didn’t go their way, as also seen in the second goal where Luis Suarez appeared to foul Raphael Varane in the build-up.
Whether Messi’s alleged pressuring of the officials had any bearing on the situation is debatable, but Ramos was clearly upset by it and was left to rue Madrid’s inability to finish off 10-man Barcelona as they remain in third place and three points adrift of city rivals Atletico Madrid with a game in hand.
Penalty on Marcelo denied, Barcelona doing everything they can to keep their invincible run. Shameless.pic.twitter.com/pKG78Fz2mN
— Hamza (@Ronaldoverses) May 6, 2018