Benatia: 'It wasn't a penalty'

By Football Italia staff

Juventus defender Medhi Benatia explained why Real Madrid should not have been awarded a penalty. “I got the ball and Lucas Vazquez just went down.”

The Bianconeri had fought back from a 3-0 first leg defeat to lead 3-0 at the Bernabeu and were 30 seconds away from reaching extra time in the Champions League quarter-final.

The referee awarded a penalty for Benatia’s apparent nudge in the back on Lucas Vazquez, but replays from different angles show the defender did get the ball.

“We are sad, because we played the game we wanted to and last year the same thing happened to Bayern Munich,” Benatia told Mediaset Premium.

“Real Madrid are a great side, but every time there is a challenge, they get the decision and Cristiano Ronaldo scores.

“I went around Vazquez and got the ball. He just went down because he had nothing else to do at that point. You can see the ball bounce off my foot and change direction. Going out to a penalty like that is absurd.

“We are the victims of this situation, but we’re very proud of what we did tonight.”

Gigi Buffon was sent off for dissent, so Wojciech Szczesny had to come on and face the penalty.

“The referee needs to explain the rules, because if the captain can’t even talk to the referee after a penalty is awarded, then who can?”

Image via @premiumsporthd

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