It’s the fear of footballers: missing a crucial match because of a suspension linked to an accumulation of three yellow cards. And if five Parisians (Lucas Hernandez, Milan Skriniar, Manuel Ugarte, Ousmane Dembélé and Vitinha) were under threat of missing the semi-final first leg of the Champions League in the event of a warning on Tuesday in Barcelona, none of them was sanctioned in this way by Romanian referee Istvan Kovacs during their big success (1-4) in Catalonia on Tuesday evening.
Barring injury, all PSG players lined up at Montjuïc by Luis Enrique apply to face Borussia Dortmund on April 30 or May 1 in Germany. The Ruhr players are in the same situation. Winner of Atlético de Madrid (4-2) in a match with a crazy scenario, the current fifth in the Bundesliga did not see one of its elements receive a damaging yellow against the Colchoneros. Only his Norwegian right-back Julian Ryerson, who was not affected by this reprieve with only one card inflicted so far in the competition, was cautioned during the match.
Only a red card can suspend a player for the final
For him, Kylian Mbappé, targeted by a yellow card on Tuesday, and all the players involved in the last four, the counters are now reset to zero. “All yellow cards are canceled at the end of the quarter-finals. They are not carried over to the semi-finals,” states UEFA in its disciplinary regulations.
A principle put in place to prevent a player from missing the C1 final for an accumulation of warnings, like Juventus Turin star Pavel Nedved in 2003. A Parisian or a Borussia player will be suspended for the final “only after receiving a red card”, underlines UEFA.
