Amid the chaos of Arsenal’s 2-1 away win against Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu on Wednesday evening, Dani Carvajal made a beeline towards Bukayo Saka at the half-time interval and grabbed the winger around the neck – his reasoning has now been revealed.
Against all odds, the north Londoners reigned triumphant across their two-legged encounter with Los Blancos as Carlo Ancelotti’s men crashed out as reigning champions of Europe’s primary competition in rather tremendous, and sorry, fashion.
In the second leg, with Mikel Arteta’s three goals ahead, it was Saka – who was praised in Thierry Henry’s post-match debrief – to open the scoring with a deft chip over Thibaut Courtois. Though, it didn’t take long for the hosts to respond.
Pouncing on William Saliba’s mistake a mere two minutes later, Vinicius Jr gave the La Liga behemoths a glimmer of hope. They were unable to find another, and Gabriel Martinelli’s 93rd-minute strike put the icing on the cake over their two-legged triumph.
GIVEMESPORT Key Statistic: Arsenal are the first team to win both of their first two games against Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu.
As both sides entered the break, the score was finely poised at 0-0 and Carvajal took it upon himself to confront Saka, who had earlier fluffed his chance from the penalty spot by virtue of trying a Panenka, which was pioneered by Czech Republic midfielder Antonin Panenka.
Carvajal – who missed the tie after undergoing knee surgery in October – approached the Englishman at the half-time interval and appeared to grab the back of his neck in utter anger. Fans, as a result, were confused by the Spaniard’s motive.
Ealing-born Saka – widely recognised as one of the best wingers in world football – was equally irked by the needless confrontation and, as such, the pair had to be pulled apart and staff from both sides intervened before tempers spilled over.
According to Spanish publication Marca, per The Metro, the seasoned right-back was unhappy with Saka’s ‘disrespectful’ decision to attempt a Panenka from 12 yards out. He now faces punishment for his clash with the 23-year-old Hale End graduate.
Per AS, there is a possible four-match ban on the cards for the Euro 2024 star – commonly admired as one of the best defenders in world football – according to Article 15 of UEFA’s disciplinary regulations. Section 15.a.viii reads:
“Section 15.a.viii of the UEFA disciplinary regulations deals with participating in a match when suspended or otherwise ineligible to play. This is a serious offense, and the penalty can be a suspension of one or more matches, "if such suspension is deemed appropriate".A well-known example is Xabi Alonso's one-match ban after running onto the pitch during the 2014 Champions League final when he was suspended.”