‘Robbed’ – Man City fans fume as Casemiro escapes red card despite two fouls including ‘pulling Foden like a ragdoll’
MANCHESTER CITY fans have been left furious after Real Madrid man Casemiro escaped punishment despite two blatant yellow card offences during their Champions League semi-final clash.
Many were scratching their hands when Italian referee Daniele Orsato didn’t brandish a card to the Brazilian not once, but twice in the first half.
Casemiro’s first offence was a scissor-style tackle on Manchester City talisman Kevin De Bruyne, scything him down to the ground.
Orsato duly blew for a free-kick, but somehow failed to produce a yellow card for the challenge.
Then later in the half Casemiro found himself at the centre of attention again.
This time the 30-year-old midfielder cynically dragged down Phil Foden as the City man tried to launch a counter-attack.
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But once again Orsato refused to punish Casemiro.
Livid City fans took to social media to complain about how the Real Madrid man managed to stay on the pitch.
One wrote: “Casemiro shouldn’t be on the pitch. We have been robbed.”
Another added: “Ref letting Casemiro do whatever he wants.”
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A third onlooker added: “Honestly he should have been red carded, so lucky to be on pitch.”
Meanwhile Manchester United legend Rio Ferdinand claimed Casemiro dragged Foden down “like a rag doll” in the second incident.
He said on BT Sport: “This one, he drags him back like a rag doll by his shirt. I don’t know how he doesn’t get a yellow card there.
“I mean if both of them are to the letter of the law then he’s probably off the pitch, well he is off the pitch.
“But he got away with it. I think he’s cute, he stays down [and] pretends he’s injured. He got away with it.”
Fouls by Casemiro on Joao Cancelo and then Bernardo Silva in the second half also failed to draw the yellow card out of Orsato’s pocket.