Cristiano Ronaldo sorry for red as he may miss the derby

Andy West 09:06 25/01/2015
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  • Red Ron: Cristiano Ronaldo received a red card late on in Real Madrid's win against Cordoba.

    Cristiano Ronaldo asked for forgiveness after getting himself sent off during Real Madrid’s fortunate 2-1 victory over Cordoba.

    The Portuguese star, who delivered a poor performance, kicked out at Edimar to earn a straight red in the latter stages and could now face a three-game ban – including a local derby date with reigning champions Atletico.

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    He expressed his regret via social media, tweeting: “I apologise to everyone and especially to Edimar for my rash action.”

    Manager Carlo Ancelotti was more forgiving – publicly, at least – as he claimed not to have had a good view, saying: “I didn’t see what he did, so I can’t judge it.”

    However, Ancelotti was prepared to admit that he was unhappy with his team’s performance, which saw them outplayed for long periods by relegation-threatened Cordoba and only claim the points after a late penalty by Gareth Bale.

    The Italian boss was particularly unimpressed with the start to the game, which saw Madrid fall behind to a penalty from Nabil Ghilas, as he blasted: “I did not like the first half at all. At times I was very angry.

    “But Cordoba played very well and congratulations to them. They competed for every ball, played well on the counter and we suffered.”

    One positive aspect for Ancelotti was the fact that his team scored twice from set-pieces, with Karim Benzema’s effort from a corner followed by Bale’s penalty winner, which came when his shot from a free-kick was handled.

    “It wasn’t easy in open play because the pitch was uneven. One good opportunity for us was set-pieces and we did that well, scoring two goals,” added the Italian.

    Cordoba boss Miroslav Djukic, meanwhile, was keen to ensure his team received due recognition for their performance rather than all the attention being focused on their opponents’ shortcomings.

    The former Valencia coach, who has inspired his team to much improved performances since his mid-season appointment, said: “The key to Madrid’s poor performance was Cordoba. I am very happy with the way the team played and with our mentality. We went at them and played a complete game.”

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