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Gigi loves olives but not Oliver! (Bedlam at the Bernabau)

Clik The Mouse

Thursday, April 12th, 2018

1 Leave a comment on verse 1 0 Real Madrid v Juventus, CL Q-F. Real win 4-3 on agg, with last minute winning pen from Cristiano Ronaldo. Referee = Michael Oliver. 11/04/2018

2 Leave a comment on verse 2 1 Let’s start at the end
And just pretend
There was no emotion
That drove the commotion

3 Leave a comment on verse 3 0 Cristiano revs up
Strikes with full throttle
After such a long wait
What a lotta bottle!

4 Leave a comment on verse 4 0 Szczesny strolled on
Acting all cocky and cool
Last minute sub facing a pen
Oliver debatably brave or fool!!

5 Leave a comment on verse 5 0 The referee
Was surrounded, hounded and shoved
Many saying it shouldn’t be red
Simply because it’s retiring Gigi (beloved)

6 Leave a comment on verse 6 0 To emphasize, the referee
Was surrounded, hounded and shoved
Where it could have been one of many
The red was flashed to Gigi (be-gloved)

7 Leave a comment on verse 7 0 In all the furore
VAR gets a mention
But for such a 50/50 call
It wouldn’t have solved the tension

8 Leave a comment on verse 8 0 Benatia shoves in the back
Vasquez hits the ground
Depending on your allegiance
The ref’s whistle is unsound!

9 Leave a comment on verse 9 0 Real with last throw of the dice
Desperately, Toni Kroos he chips
Ronaldo peels and bounds
His header preceding tooted pips

10 Leave a comment on verse 10 0 The tie started out looking comfy
Real at home and ahead by three
But Juve bag a triple
To every neutral’s glee!

Notes

Why start at the end?
Why not?
The next day, debate raged about all the topics raised above:
Was it a penalty?
Would VAR have caused it to be over-turned?
Should Benatia have been shown a red?
Should Oliver have shown mercy to Buffon because he is in his last knockings / such an icon?
Was it a red at all because Buffon didn’t lay his hands on Oliver?
How come Pique (previously pictured in the stands, serving a match suspension), got to be remonstrating in the dugout with Juve’s manager Allegri as tempers flared?

It all got so emotional – and such drama – but isn’t that what we want from football?
Buffon’s infamous post-match quote:
“referee has a bag of rubbish for a heart!”

Nailing colours to the mast:
Real were looking for a penalty anyway. Vasquez was possibly already falling.
But yes, enough force from Benatia and a high foot coming round into Vasquez’s chest.
Took a lot of bottle to give the penalty.
Hounding the ref like that is inexcusable; someone had to get a red.
Oliver had literally been swept by the mob from the penalty spot to beyond the box.
Buffon had barged Oliver from behind in the melee and was forcibly remonstrating 2 ins from his face – he had to go.
Yes it was tough, having pulled back 3 unanswered away goals, only to give away a last minute penalty – but it was poor defending after such a gargantuan effort.

Also unbelievably on the same night:

Barcelona, 4-1 up from the first leg, lost 3-0 away to Roma.
What were they doing?
Two nil down, mustn’t concede another – and they defend a corner without anybody on the posts! Manolas’ deft header would have been easily cleared if Barca had set up properly!

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Source: http://footballpoets.org/poems/gigi-loves-olives-but-not-oliver-bedlam-at-the-bernabau/