Replay the Bernabéu After the Red Card

What actually happened

Champions League semifinal first leg, 27 April 2011, minute 61: 0–0 when Pepe went in high on Dani Alves and Wolfgang Stark showed a straight red. Mourinho applauded the fourth official and was sent to the stands.

Messi scored in the 76th and 87th minutes; the second leg finished 1–1 and Barcelona went through 3–1. Madrid protested the card and the conduct of Barcelona's players; UEFA rejected both and banned Mourinho for what he said afterwards.

Why it was disputed

Serious foul play needs no contact: a raised boot with studs showing can be a red card on danger alone. Whether Pepe's studs touched Alves, and whether Alves' stretcher-to-sprint recovery was theatre, is what the jury weighs.

Review the real evidence and cast your verdict →

How the replay adapts it

You take Madrid from the 62nd minute at 0–0 — the restart after the card — seven four-minute beats to full time. History scores twice against you, in the 76th and 87th.

This is a first leg: finish level and the tie is alive for Camp Nou, which counts as a win here. Two goals that survive review do it.

Questions the court gets asked

Is this the real 2011 semifinal?

A satirical adaptation of Real Madrid 0–2 Barcelona, from the Pepe red card onward. Players are fictional stand-ins; the referee parodies the jury's verdict.

Why does 2–2 count as a win?

Because a first-leg draw at the Bernabéu would have sent the tie to Camp Nou level, which is all Madrid were playing for after the card. The tribunal does not simulate the second leg. Yet.

Why is the referee only 'suspicious'?

Each scenario's referee tier is frozen from the jury's verdict on the real incident. A new exhibit starts at the medium tier until the verdict settles.