"These decisions are hard to understand" – Arbeloa claims Tah deserved red card
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Real Madrid coach Álvaro Arbeloa confessed to Marca after their 2-1 defeat to Bayern Munich that Jonathan Tah should have been red-carded for tackle on Kylian Mbappé.
“I don’t understand why the Bayern player [Tah] wasn’t sent off for the foul he committed against Mbappé. These are decisions that are hard to understand," he said after the game.
The 43-year-old was alluding to an incident involving the Bayern defender, who raked his studs down the ankle of Mbappé in a non-malicious manner and received a yellow card.
While Tah avoided dismissal, Real Madrid midfielder Aurélien Tchouameni picked up a yellow card which will rule him out of the second-leg next Wednesday.
“It’s a big loss because of the card the referee showed him, but we have faith in our substitutes," Arbeloa said, before going on to discuss Jude Bellingham's brief involvement.
“It’s not that I don’t want to play Jude, it’s just that he’s been out of action for a long time. I have no doubts about my confidence in him. It makes sense to bring him back gradually.
“We need a player like him who can dribble and get past opponents. He has a strong character, and I can see he’s improving; he’ll be a great asset to us in Munich,” the Spaniard added.
As for their hopes ahead of the second-leg in Munich next Wednesday, the Galacticos' coach has full faith in his team that they can overturn the one-goal deficit and reach the semi-finals.
“If there is one team capable of winning in Munich, it is Real Madrid. We are Real Madrid, and we know how difficult it is to win there, but we will do our very best,” he said.
