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Sergio Ramos insists that his elbow on Atletico Madrid striker Mario Mandzukic was not intentional, maintaining that it was a mere accident. The Spanish defender had elbowed Mandzukic in the face inside the penalty box in the second half of Real Madrid's 0-0 draw against Atletico Madrid but had escaped booking.
Mandzukic, who was bleeding severely and had to be treated on the sidelines, was hit by Ramos’ arm in the 51st minute when the latter swung his elbow while trying to win the ball against him. Frustrated with no action being taken against Ramos, Mandzukic was seen appealing to Serbian referee Milorad Mazic but to no avail.
When asked about the incident post-match, Ramos told reporters, "I'm not getting into evaluating any fouls. There are referees for that. But I did not know if Mandzukic was near me or far away. I was not intending to hit him.”
Atletico Madrid defender Diego Godin was, however, unhappy with the Real Madrid defender, stating that the incident didn’t sit well with him.
“I was upset by Ramos’ elbow but that happens in a game and that’s where it stays. The referee is there to decide what’s a foul and if they’re yellow cards or not,” Godin told reporters.
Mandzukic was under a lot of mental pressure to say the least with his several altercations with Real Madrid defenders throughout the match. The most blatant one involved him and Real Madrid right-back Dani Carvajal who was accused of biting and punching the former Bayern Munich striker.
However, Carvajal was quick to deny the reports, taking to Twitter to clear the allegations against him.
[Translation: "I saw after the game that I'm accused of biting an opposing player. Let me make clear that I have not bitten anyone, or attempted to do so."]
Unlike Sergio Ramos’ elbow, this attack definitely looked more intentional, and ironically the favour was returned by Mandzuckic who would later on go onto elbow Carvajal himself.
