Laura Woods has given an insight into what Antonio Rudiger did right before Mateo Kovacic took his penalty for Manchester City against Real Madrid.
Having scored from 12 yards out in the UEFA Super Cup final against Sevilla this season, the £30 million man seemed like the perfect candidate to take yet another spot-kick for City.
With how experienced Kovacic is as well, it was fair to back him to get the job done.
However, the Croatian international fluffed his lines from the spot.
The 29-year-old’s penalty was not right in the bottom corner, as Andriy Lunin managed to keep it out.
Earlier, Bernardo Silva had also missed a spot-kick for the Sky Blues to cancel out Luka Modric’s initial miss.
Laura Woods shares what Rudiger did before the Kovacic penalty
However, Mateo Kovacic’s miss only added to Manchester City’s misery on the night.
Being a brilliant striker of the ball as well, the seasoned midfielder was expected to put the ball in the back of the net.
But it was simply not to be for Kovacic and the hosts at the Etihad Stadium after the game was tied 1-1 after extra time.
Goals from Rodrygo Goes and Kevin De Bruyne, as well as a dramatic last 30 minutes, meant both teams played out an enthralling contest.
For the first time in their history, City found themselves in a penalty shootout in the Champions League.
As for Los Blancos, they have been there and done that on plenty of occasions.
Laura Woods revealed that Real Madrid colossus Antonio Rudiger had shared that he knew where Manchester City midfielder Mateo Kovacic would shoot even before the penalty.
“When [Mateo] Kovacic took his penalty, he just said with another broadcaster he knew which we Kovacic was going to go. You just saw [Antonio] Rudiger pointing in that direction”, she said on TNT Sports (17/04/2024, 23:15).
Laura Woods’ revelation does not come as a surprise as Antonio Rudiger recently revealed that Mateo Kovacic was his best friend in football and having played with him at Chelsea, he must have been aware of which side of the goal he aims for when taking a penalty when Real Madrid faced Manchester City.
Unfair to be too critical of Mateo Kovacic
Ultimately, penalties are a lottery.
As a result, while one should laud Antonio Rudiger for how proactive he was before the penalty, as Laura Woods revealed, it would be harsh to be too critical of Mateo Kovacic after Manchester City lost to Real Madrid.
If not for Rudiger, Kovacic would have been lauded for taking a composed penalty, if Lunin dove to the other side.
However, the Ukrainian goalkeeper followed the German defender’s instructions and that’s that.
What can be said is Kovacic should have had placed his penalty right into the bottom corner and perhaps put more power and height behind his shot.
But that is easier said than done while taking a spot-kick.