Real Madrid’s Casemiro and Mendy out of PSG second-leg

Real Madrid pair Casemiro and Ferland Mendy are out of the second-leg of their Champions League round 16 tie with PSG

Real Madrid has been dealt a double blow ahead of the second leg of the Champions League round of 16 against Paris Saint-Germain.

Los Blancos were on the back foot practically the whole night in Paris, as PSG launched an unrelenting attack on the Los Blancos goal. Thibaut Courtois’ penalty save against Lionel Messi appeared to indicate that Real Madrid would leave Paris with no loss.

However, they were defeated with less than a minute remaining in stoppage time, thanks to a spectacular solo strike by Kylian Mbappe.

Casemiro was warned in the first half for a foul on Leandro Paredes in midfield, which means he will miss the second leg against Paris Saint-Germain at the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu.

As the Brazilian grabbed the Argentine by the throat, the tension between the two was palpable. The event was reviewed by VAR again, but nothing more than a yellow card was judged appropriate. However, the booking is costly for Carlo Ancelotti’s second-leg strategy.

With Casemiro’s ban already causing issues for Los Blancos, Ancelotti must have been disappointed when Mendy received a yellow card of his own, ensuring that he, too, will miss the second leg in Madrid.

Ancelotti will now have to manage the consequences of that choice, as he will have to devise a strategy without one of his most essential players for a key game.