Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca was left fuming that Bayern Munich avoided what he viewed as a “clear red card” during Wednesday night’s Champions League clash.
The Blues lost 3–1 in Bavaria to mark their return to Europe’s elite competition with a defeat, but a first half flashpoint saw Bayern’s Jonathan Tah only cautioned for a tangle with João Pedro.
The German centre back appeared to swing an arm at Pedro with Chelsea threatening to counter, leaving the forward on the ground. Referee José María Sánchez Martínez considered a yellow card sufficient punishment, which left Maresca so angry that he received his own booking for protesting.
“For me, it’s a clear red card,” the Chelsea boss told reporters postgame.
“When there is not an intention to go for the go for the ball, just to kick the player, why is it not a red card? It’s not aggressive enough the referee said. To give a red card, they need to see blood? For me the intention was to injure so there’s no doubt.”
The incident came at a key moment in the contest. Bayern had raced into a 2–0 lead courtesy of a Trevoh Chalobah own goal and Harry Kane penalty, before Cole Palmer pulled one back for Chelsea. Tah’s yellow card came immediately afterwards, perhaps influencing the course of the game.
It halted Chelsea’s momentum and Bayern went on to score a third midway through the second half.
Bayern manager Vincent Kompany unsurprisingly stood up for his own player.
“I wanted a foul the other way,” he explained. “I thought [Tah] was fouled. I might be biased. I think his shirt got pulled and was tried to free himself and so as a defender, you just want to shake him off. Overall, I don’t want to discuss it too much but it’s not in my opinion that big an event in that sense.”
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Enzo Maresca Furious After Bayern Munich Defender Escapes ‘Clear Red Card’.
