Ernesto Valverde 'Surprised' at Red Card & Praises Barcelona After 'Difficult' 2-2 El Clasico Draw
Barcelona manager Ernesto Valverde has admitted he was surprised to see Sergi Roberto sent off for hitting out at Marcelo during his side's 2-2 draw with Real Madrid on Sunday evening.
Valverde's team remain unbeaten in La Liga after a thrilling El Clasico at the Nou Camp. The game finished all square thanks to a late stunner from Gareth Bale that cancelled out Lionel Messi's clever solo goal, with Luis Suarez and Cristiano Ronaldo scoring earlier.
During a tense time in the match, Roberto raised his hand to Marcelo, and the Barcelona man saw a straight red card. Blaugrana boss Valverde admitted after the game he was surprised to see Roberto react in that manner.
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When speaking as quoted by Marca, Valverde said: "There have been many controversial moments, I will have to see the replays to understand them more clearly.
"Sergi Roberto's foul is strange, I'm surprised he's hit him in the face. I'll have to see it back on television."
Lionel Messi scored a fantastic solo goal but his effort was cancelled out when Bale equalised in the 72nd minute. Valverde is just three games away from helping his side become the first ever team to go unbeaten in a La Liga season.
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Valverde spoke of the tension of the game, adding: "In a game like this, there will always be tension. It was intense from the first minute. We all want to beat our rivals. The goals came fast and then it became difficult with all the cards.
"In the second half, we fought so that the man disadvantage wasn't felt. We didn't stop attacking. We had to work together a lot and never give up in attack."
"[I'm happy] especially with the effort of the team," he added. "It is always difficult to play with a man down, more so against Real Madrid. They know how to find their opponents' gaps. We could have even won, so we're happy."
Barcelona face Villarreal, Levante and Real Sociedad before the season closes. If they avoid defeat in these games they will remain unbeaten in La Liga.
