The Real Madrid star has apologised.

Real Madrid endured a nightmare evening in Lisbon as they succumbed to a 4-2 defeat against Benfica at the Estádio da Luz on Wednesday. The loss proved costly for the Spanish giants, who slipped out of the top eight in the Champions League group stage. Consequently, Álvaro Arbeloa’s side will now have to contest the knockout play-offs for a second consecutive season.

The match turned particularly dramatic in its closing moments when Real were hit by two red cards, leaving them with just nine men on the field. In the 92nd minute, Raúl Asensio was shown a second yellow and sent off, followed shortly afterwards by Brazilian forward Rodrigo, who received a straight red in stoppage time for protesting the referee’s decision.

Following the game, Rodrigo took to social media platform X to apologise to the supporters for his actions. He stated:

“I got carried away with emotion while protesting over time-wasting. This is not my nature. I have never received a red card while playing for Real Madrid before. I apologise to the fans, the club, my teammates, and the coach. We will remain united and continue fighting for this Champions League campaign.”

Despite the incident, Real Madrid’s management is not treating it as a major issue. In recent weeks, Rodrigo has been one of the squad’s standout performers, and he is expected to return to the starting lineup for the upcoming La Liga fixture against Rayo Vallecano this weekend.

The defeat, however, underscores the precarious position of Real Madrid in Europe this season. Failing to secure a top-eight finish in the group stage puts added pressure on the team to perform in the play-offs, where every match carries the weight of elimination.

Match Summary:

Real Madrid will now need to regroup quickly, balancing domestic commitments with the challenge of navigating the Champions League knockout play-offs. While the defeat in Lisbon was painful, the team’s focus will be on restoring confidence and performance levels, with Rodrigo expected to play a key role in upcoming matches.