“Disappointed not to see that” - Jude Bellingham jokingly asks pundit to wear Real Madrid shirt after winning wager
Real Madrid's star midfielder Jude Bellingham did not miss the opportunity to remind pundit Micah Richards about their wager for the Champions League quarterfinal match against Manchester City.
Speaking to CBS Sports in his post-match interview, Bellingham was asked whether he had any message for Richards post-game, to which he replied:
"Yeah, he's still meant to be wearing the Real Madrid shirt after the wager we had, so. Disappointed not to see that. Hopefully we will see it for the semi-final."
Jude Bellingham was then asked about how Los Blancos dealt with Manchester City being widely regarded as the favorites before the game. He revealed that they were outplayed for the most part but did what they needed to stay in the game.
He said:
"Well I think tonight is a tough one because we won with fine margins, to be very clear. In the game they were definitely dominant and we kind of had to do what it took to stay in the game and take it to penalties.
"We did what it took to win. We know what we're capable of in that dressing room and we showed it tonight."
Real Madrid emerged 4-3 victors on Wednesday (April 17) after the penalty shoot out following the teams were tied 4-4 on aggregate after extra time. Luka Modric missed the first kick for Los Blancos but Jude Bellingham, Lucas Vazquez, Nacho Fernandez, and Antonio Rudiger converted to see them through.
Real will now travel to Munich to face Bayern at the Allianz Arena for the first leg of the Champions League semi-finals on April 30.
Real Madrid goalie Andriy Lunin expresses delight after shoot-out heroics
Andriy Lunin made two saves in the penalty shoot-out to deny Mateo Kovacic and Bernardo Silva as Real Madrid won 4-3 on penalties. He was mobbed by his teammates including Jude Bellingham, Ferland Mendy and others immediately after Rudiger's penalty.
After the end of the match, the Ukrainian expressed his delight at his progress at the club and their win.
"I am the happiest man in the world. Hard work is rewarded, I'm just happy to help Real Madrid and I wanna thank this group for the support," he told the media after the match.
Andriy Lunin joined Real in 2018 from Zorya Luhansk as their third-choice goalkeeper. He spent the following three years on loan at Leganes, Valladolid and Oviedo, before becoming a part of Los Blancos' first team.
This season, he started as the number three choice but injury to Thibaut Courtois meant Carlo Ancelotti promoted him to the number two spot. Lunin put in an incredible performance against RB Leipzig in the Round of 16, making nine saves in the first leg. He also made eight saves against Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium.
The 25-year-old has made 27 appearances for Real Madrid this season, conceding 23 goals, and has kept 12 clean sheets.