Real Madrid squeezed past Juventus last night after the Bianconeri clawed back a 3-0 deficit only to give away a penalty in the dying moments which would see Gianluigi Buffon sent off for dissent and Cristiano Ronaldo put Los Blancos in the semi-final draw.
But the La Liga side may be without their most influential leader in Sergio Ramos for the first match of their semi-final. The Spanish centre-back was suspended for the Juventus tie after picking up his 3rd yellow card of the tournament, but may have contravened the conditions of his suspension by watching the final moments of the match from the tunnel of the Bernabeu.
If the referee notes Ramos' presence in the tunnel in his match report, then the centre-back could face another suspension and Spanish news outlet Cope have reported that the referee did indeed note the indiscretion in his match report.
There is also a precedent for an additional ban for Ramos. Former Real Madrid midfielder Xabi Alonso was handed a one match suspension in 2014 when he celebrated Gareth Bale's goal in the Champions League final. The Spaniard jumped a barrier to join his team mates celebrations and was duly suspended for the first match of Real Madrids' Super Cup campaign.
It will be interesting to see if UEFA stick to the rulebook on this one. Ramos is one of Madrid's most important players and was sorely missed last night as Madrid surrendered a three goal cushion. In Alonso's case the match he missed was, in the grand scheme of things relatively inconsequential, but should the 32-year-old miss the first leg of his team's semi-final it could prove costly for Madrid as they chase a historic third Champions League in a row.
