It has been reported that two players were reluctant to participate in the penalty shootout during the tense Champions League quarter-final between Manchester City and Real Madrid.
The teams were locked in a 4-4 aggregate draw after 210 minutes, leading to a penalty decider at the Etihad Stadium.
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Real Madrid emerged victorious with a 4-3 win in the shootout, despite earlier misses from Bernardo Silva and Mateo Kovacic.
Real’s initial setback came when Ederson saved a penalty from 38-year-old Luka Modric, but the team successfully scored all subsequent penalties.
Following Modric’s attempt, Silva took his turn at the penalty spot after a significant pause due to the ball being retrieved from the North Stand.
Choosing to aim straight down the center, Silva was foiled by Andriy Lunin, who, advised by Kepa Arrizabalaga, held his ground for an effortless save.
Lunin continued his heroics by saving Mateo Kovacic’s penalty, aided by the decisive Antonio Rudiger.
The selection of penalty takers was quite unexpected, notably with City’s goalkeeper Ederson confidently converting his penalty from 12 yards.
However, it has been revealed that two Real Madrid players chose not to participate in the penalty shootout.
According to MARCA, both Federico Valverde and Eder Militao were hesitant to take on the responsibility of a penalty kick.
Valverde, the Uruguayan international known for his impressive volley in the first leg, was anticipated to be a key penalty taker.
Despite being a likely candidate, Valverde was not among the five designated penalty takers due to fatigue.
Moreover, Eder Militao was reluctant to take a penalty even though he was brought on as a late substitute in the 110th minute.
Reports suggest that Militao’s hesitation stemmed from a lack of confidence in taking a penalty against Ederson, his compatriot and teammate from the Brazilian national team.
Instead, substitutes Modric and Lucas Vazquez were chosen, with Vazquez confidently performing kick-ups before successfully converting his penalty.
Real Madrid, the 14-time European champions, are set to face Bayern Munich in the semi-finals.
