Kylian Mbappe handed new red card referee verdict amid Real Madrid vs Arsenal ban truth
by Mark Wakefield · football.londonReal Madrid star Kylian Mbappe has received a fresh referee's red card verdict ahead of the Arsenal clash.
The Gunners will travel to Spain to face Real Madrid on Wednesday night in the second leg of their Champions League quarter-final. Arsenal have a 3-0 lead going into the reverse fixture at the Santiago Bernabeu, having ran-out convincing winners at the Emirates Stadium last week.
Beating the Spanish giants over two legs would see Arsenal progress to the semi-finals, where they would play either Paris Saint-Germain or Aston Villa. One player who will be out to stop the Gunners from reaching the next round is Mbappe, who would have had mixed emotions over the weekend.
Real Madrid picked up a 1-0 win over Deportivo Alaves in La Liga on Sunday night - owing to a goal from Eduardo Camavinga. However, minutes after Camavinga opened the scoring, Mbappe was shown a red card for a tackle on Antonio Blanco.
Referee Cesar Soto Grado initially gave Mbappe a yellow card for his challenge, before VAR recommended that a review at the pitch-side monitor would be needed. The on-field referee then looked at the replay as he decided to give Mbappe his marching orders and issue a red card.
The tackle from Mbappe was analysed on Sky Sports show Ref Watch on Monday morning.
Former Premier League referee Dermot Gallagher gave his verdict on the tackle, explaining why he believes a red card should have been given on-field before VAR's intervention.
"Common sense prevailed because it's an absolutely awful tackle," said Gallagher on Sky Sports.
"The only thing that I would say is, if that was a referee that I knew I would be saying to him, 'What did you see to think that was a yellow card?'
"I don't think you need to go to VAR for that, you should get that on-field."
Mbappe is expected to serve a three-match ban in La Liga as a result of the sending off. The France captain will, of course, still be available to meet Arsenal in the Champions League, though, with that red card competition-specific - meaning it will only apply to Spain's top-flight in this instance.
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