Real Madrid fans could reportedly be heard loudly cheering the name of Roma defender Kostas Manolas when it was announced at the Bernabeu this evening.
This might seem a bit odd for some, until you remember that the Greek international scored a late winner in a thrilling contest against Real’s bitter La Liga rivals Barcelona in the Champions League quarter-final last season.
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Barca had won the first leg of that tie 4-1, looking all but through as they headed to the Stadio Olimpico for the second game.
However, Roma put in a superb display and clawed the game back, with Manolas heading in the decisive goal to make it 3-0 and send the Italians through to the semi-finals on away goals.
Roma team just read out at the Santiago Bernabéu. One name received bigger cheers from the home fans than the away fans. Manolas. His goal knocked Real Madrid's big rivals, Barcelona, out of the Champions League last season…#RealMadridRoma #UCL #
— Ben Hayward (@bghayward) September 19, 2018
They ended up losing to Liverpool in the next round, and Real Madrid then beat the Reds in the final in Kiev to lift the trophy for the third year in a row.
Los Blancos begin their quest for a fourth in a row against Roma in the group stages tonight, but first showed some appreciation to Manolas (per the above tweet from Spanish football journalist Ben Hayward) for preventing Barcelona doing anything in last season’s competition.