Cristiano Ronaldo argues with Pedro Rodriguez and Dani Alves of Barcelona during another hot-tempered game.
Cristiano Ronaldo argues with Pedro Rodriguez and Dani Alves of Barcelona during another hot-tempered game.

Next year they should just give the cup directly to Barcelona: Ronaldo



BARCELONA // Cristiano Ronaldo agrees with banned coach Jose Mourinho that Barcelona is given preferential treatment by UEFA after Real Madrid was eliminated from the Champions League with last night's 1-1 draw.

Madrid missed out on a place in the final after losing the two-legged series 3-1 overall, although questionable referee decisions against Madrid in both legs took their toll.

Belgian referee Frank De Bleeckere waived away Gonzalo Higuain's goal before Pedro Rodriguez notched Barcelona's opener after judging Ronaldo fouled Javier Mascherano despite being pushed into the Argentine.

______________

Also

Barcelona battle Real and elements to reach final
Uefa rejects Real Madrid and Barcelona appeals
Chuck Culpepper on the global appeal of the el clasicos
Fortune has smiled on Schalke goalkeeper

_______________

"Barcelona is very well protected — we knew something would happen," Ronaldo said. "(Higuain's) goal was legal. Pique pushed me and I fell on top of Mascherano, who never went to the ground in England, but here he's learned that trade like the rest of them."

Mourinho was banned for criticising Uefa after the first leg when Pepe was red carded in the 61st minute. Barcelona scored both goals after that and Madrid accused their rival of feigning injuries to draw bookings.

The hostile atmosphere leading into the game even led Uefa to send head of referees Pierluigi Collina to the match at the Camp Nou. Uefa is studying six reports against the two clubs.

Madrid's players were all visibly upset after the game and captain Iker Casillas and midfielder Xabi Alonso were among those venting against De Bleeckere.

"That would have been the first step in the comeback," Alonso said. "We're upset, hurt to not go through because of so many wrong decisions."

Barcelona will now play in the May 28 final at Wembley, with Manchester United leading Schalke 2-0 in the other semi-final.

"We knew if we scored a goal they would do everything possible so we wouldn't get through. This isn't good for football. If things don't improve we should just stay home and let Barcelona play by themselves," Ronaldo added.

"Next year they should just give the cup directly to Barcelona."

The specs
 
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
What is tokenisation?

Tokenisation refers to the issuance of a blockchain token, which represents a virtually tradable real, tangible asset. A tokenised asset is easily transferable, offers good liquidity, returns and is easily traded on the secondary markets. 

FIXTURES

Thu Mar 15 – West Indies v Afghanistan, UAE v Scotland
Fri Mar 16 – Ireland v Zimbabwe
Sun Mar 18 – Ireland v Scotland
Mon Mar 19 – West Indies v Zimbabwe
Tue Mar 20 – UAE v Afghanistan
Wed Mar 21 – West Indies v Scotland
Thu Mar 22 – UAE v Zimbabwe
Fri Mar 23 – Ireland v Afghanistan

The top two teams qualify for the World Cup

Classification matches
The top-placed side out of Papua New Guinea, Hong Kong or Nepal will be granted one-day international status. UAE and Scotland have already won ODI status, having qualified for the Super Six.

Thu Mar 15 – Netherlands v Hong Kong, PNG v Nepal
Sat Mar 17 – 7th-8th place playoff, 9th-10th place playoff

How to protect yourself when air quality drops

Install an air filter in your home.

Close your windows and turn on the AC.

Shower or bath after being outside.

Wear a face mask.

Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.

If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.

Singham Again

Director: Rohit Shetty

Stars: Ajay Devgn, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Ranveer Singh, Akshay Kumar, Tiger Shroff, Deepika Padukone

Rating: 3/5

COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Revibe%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202022%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Hamza%20Iraqui%20and%20Abdessamad%20Ben%20Zakour%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20UAE%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EIndustry%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Refurbished%20electronics%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFunds%20raised%20so%20far%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20%2410m%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFlat6Labs%2C%20Resonance%20and%20various%20others%0D%3C%2Fp%3E%0A

Middle East Today

The must read newsletter for the region

      By signing up, I agree to The National's privacy policy
      Middle East Today