1,456 days later, Sergio Ramos returned to the Santiago Bernabéu. He did it in blue, the color of Sevilla's third shirt, and under an important ovation both when warming up and at the beginning of each half.. The speaker from Chamartín left it until the end of the announcement of the lineup of the Nervión team and the public responded as the legacy of the Camas team deserves.. «And with the 4…. ¡Sergio Ramos!». thunderous applause. He, now captain of his childhood team, clapped back and placed his hand on his heart.. There was no more emotion or any institutional detail, leaving the club everything in the hands of the stands.
The 3 years, 11 months and 24 days that Ramos has been without at the Bernabéu, since that pre-pandemic Madrid-Barça, have gone a long way, but on the Madrid side there are still some of the footballers with whom he touched the European sky. He seemed very affectionate with Kroos and Nacho, whom he crossed paths with in the field draw prior to the start, and in the locker room he met again with his inseparable Luka Modric.
Before the match, Madrid paid tribute to the Hispanic-Georgian Ilia Topuria, who a few days ago was proclaimed UFC champion in the featherweight category. The athlete, who has lived in Alicante since his childhood, showed his Madrid fandom on the way to the fight against Volkanovski and the white team took up the gauntlet to invite him to the duel against Sevilla. Furthermore, in front of him was Ramos himself, one of Topuria's idols. She hugged him and Nacho as soon as she jumped onto the field before taking the honor kick-off. A touch with a thread towards the benches. Lucas Vázquez and Vinicius, UFC fans, approached him to congratulate him.
“Corruption in the Federation!”
Despite Sevilla's complications this season, the match did not disappoint. With tension and controversy, as always. And quite soon. In the 10th minute, the VAR room and Díaz de Mera spent four long minutes reviewing a foul by Nacho prior to Lucas Vázquez's goal. A time that infuriated the Bernabéu, which shouted the first “Corruption in the Federation!” of the night. First, the video referee room reviewed the play for two minutes and then notified the referee, who went to the screen located between the benches. The situation bothered Ancelotti, who protested and was reprimanded.. Seeing the action repeated for another two minutes, Díaz de Mera whistled for a foul on Nacho, to the anger of the public.
«It is difficult to get used to VAR. He was born to make obvious mistakes and there Nacho touched his foot, but also the ball. For me I shouldn't have gone in,” the Italian explained in the press room.. Lucas showed himself in the same tone: «Many times the VAR, instead of helping and removing the controversy, creates more. “The referees must continue to have responsibility.”
Madrid became unhinged with the referee to such an extent that Kroos, who is usually a calm guy, also saw yellow for protesting.. With Lucas's, Madrid has 27 goals disallowed in the League by the VAR, 11 more than the second, Sevilla (16).
Meanwhile, Ramos did everything he could to avoid the Real Madrid goal.. Some joke with Rüdiger, some affectionate approach to his former teammates…. And a lot of defensive effort. The one from Camas was not much of a protagonist in the duel and dedicated himself to leading his teammates, who were too imprecise in attack. After the break, after a loud whistle to the referee on the way to the tunnel, Madrid laid siege to the Andalusian goal without stopping, until in the 60th minute the match stopped again.
Arbitration change
Díaz de Mera, the referee, asked for the change due to an injury to the soleus of his right leg. The Madrid doctors treated him and it seemed like he could continue, but he finally had to leave the game. He was replaced by the fourth referee, Carlos Fernández Buergo, a 29-year-old referee who has officiated 11 matches in Primera RFEF this season.
And in the unexpected madness of the match, Luka Modric appeared, at 38 years old, after having been left on the bench without playing in three of the last seven games, to hit a colossal shot and score the 1-0. Sevilla, especially Sergio Ramos, his friend, protested a possible positional offside by Rüdiger, but Fernández Buergo, after a VAR review, scored a goal. Madrid breathes.
«Sergio is my friend, my brother. Although everyone wants to talk to us about ages, it continues to show that it is at a very high level. He is a legend, a great of world football and, above all, of Real Madrid,” claimed the Croatian, about himself and about Camas.. A few meters away, Ancelotti said that the future of the midfielder, whose contract ends next June, “is in his hand.”. «It is in Luka's hand what he wants to do, we have to wait for his decision. I understand what you must be going through.. Everyone thinks it's the end of his career, but the one who doesn't think so is him.. “He doesn't look like a 38-year-old player,” said the coach.