Bernardo Silva red card explained after Man City controversy vs Real Madrid | Football | Sport

Manchester City were dealt a significant setback in their bid to overturn their deficit against Real Madrid in the Champions League round-of-16. Bernardo Silva was shown a red card in the first half after he was deemed to have obstructed a goal-scoring opportunity with his arm, resulting in the referee awarding a penalty to the visitors.

The dismissal was the first of Silva’s entire professional career, leaving City with a daunting task ahead. Following an extensive VAR review, referee Clement Turpin consulted the pitchside monitor before deciding on a penalty. During the review, ex-referee Mark Clattenburg commented: “I think what they’ve got to look at, first of all the assistant has given the offside. There’s two phases that they’ve got to look at, the replays that we’ve seen they both look like they could be onside.

“Therefore, they would look at the penalty. I think Clement is checking the offside here, if the offside hasn’t happened, it is a handball. I think he puts his arm out and stops the ball going in.

“If it’s going in, it could be a red card. Yeah, the ball is going in, it does hit the elbow and it could be a red card if it’s not offside.”

Meanwhile, Amazon Prime co-commentator Alan Shearer, added: “They both look as if they’re onside for me, therefore, they’ve got a huge decision to make regarding the handball.”

Vinicius Junior then flawlessly converted from the penalty spot, giving his team a 1-0 lead at the Etihad oh the night and a 4-0 lead on aggregate.

Guardiola’s squad were fully aware of the monumental challenge ahead after suffering a 3-0 defeat in Madrid the previous week. They started strong but were repeatedly denied by Thibaut Courtois.

Erling Haaland at least pulled City level on the night with their first goal of the tie in the 41st minute with a close-range finish from Jeremy Doku’s cross but the 10-man hosts still face a gigantic task to overturn the tie.