THE NOTEBOOK: 'Spanish Mike Dean' is back to haunt Pep Guardiola
Real Madrid advanced to the semi-finals of the Champions League after beating Manchester City 4-3 on penalties at Etihad Stadium on Wednesday.
Antonio Rudiger struck the decisive spot kick after the game had finished 1-1 through extra time and 4-4 on aggregate.
Rodrygo fired Madrid ahead in the 12th minute with a twice-taken effort from close range to beat City goalkeeper Ederson on the rebound.
City dominated the game from then on with Kevin De Bruyne leveling in the 76th by lifting a shot high into the net from close range.
Things are very convivial in the hours before the biggest Champions League ties. The top brass from both sides met for a meal here, sharing stories and thoughts.
City chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak and Real president Florentino Perez were among the dignitaries to break bread.
There was a common theme: City and Real’s hierarchy were in agreement that this quarter-final felt like a final, telling each other so.
Perez went on to visit Real’s base at the Lowry to wish them luck, with Carlo Ancelotti’s switch of hotels from last year said to be motivated by superstition.
He might well have made his entrance under a sheet given the history with Pep Guardiola, but Antonio Mateu Lahoz was a notable presence around these parts.
Lahoz, 47, retired last season after three decades as a referee and has now found his new — some would say true — calling as a pundit.
Lahoz, who had a number of run-ins with Guardiola, was on duty for Movistar Plus+ and is described as ‘Spain’s answer to Mike Dean’. There can be no higher praise.
Guardiola’s beef with Lahoz came to a head during the 2018 quarter-final against Liverpool when the Catalan confronted the official at half-time.
He was sent off and had to start the next season in the
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