Sané was lucky to escape unscathed.
The German FA did not appreciate the rough treatment given to Leroy Sané by Cardiff City today.
Manchester City won the fourth round tie 2-0, but not without a few cuts and bruises. Cardiff’s Joe Bennett was one of the worst offenders when it came to cynical fouls.
Tactical fouls are an accepted part of the game now, taking one for the team with a shirt pull to prevent a counter attack is not the worst thing a football can do, but these tackles went over the line.
On a counter attack, Sané was running at pace with the ball like Sané does, across in the pitch into space. Bennett felt he had to stop the attack and took Sané down with a sliding tackle. His studs were off the ground and if Sané’s foot had been planted in the ground, he could’ve broken his leg. Bennett was later sent off for a similarly rash tackle on Brahim Diaz in the closing minutes.
Sané had to come off injured at half-time, leaving the Premier League leaders with just three fit attackers.
The German FA’s response called on Cardiff to be less reckless, thinking of the World Cup in 6 months’ time.
“Hey, Cardiff City, Just letting you know, we have a really important tournament in the summer. Please don’t hurt our players. Thanks.”
https://twitter.com/dfb_team_en/status/957659660185677826
Funnily enough, making sure Germany had a fully fit squad for the World Cup was not Neil Warnock’s priority for today’s fourth round tie.
