Kylian Mbappe suffers a blow in the Champions League play-offs as UEFA imposes heavy ban on Real Madrid teammate

Kylian Mbappe And Real Madrid failed in direct qualification for the UEFA Champions League Round of 16 and are now heading to the newly introduced playoff round. After finding himself in the play-off zone, the French superstar now suffered an additional setback: as UEFA handed down a heavy suspension to one of his most important teammates prior to the decisive draw.

On matchday 8 of the Champions League, Real Madrid dropped from third to ninth place in the subsequent rankings Benfica’s dramatic 4-2 win, sealed by an unlikely stoppage-time goal from the goalkeeper. With Benfica finishing 24th in the overall standings, the two sides will meet again in the knockout stages, although Los Blancos will do so without a crucial attacking option.

After UEFA’s disciplinary ruling Rodrygo goes has been suspended for two matches after a red card against Benficaeliminating him from the entire playoff series. The Brazilian forward was sent off after protesting against referee Davide Massa’s decisions and received two yellow cards in less than a minute.

Although the dismissal resulted from two warnings, UEFA’s disciplinary committee upgraded the penalty to a two-match ban by citing the article on “insults or abusive language towards the team on duty,‘, extending Rodrygo’s absence beyond the standard one-match suspension.

Rodrygo discussed the incident on social media the next day and publicly apologized: “Yesterday I got caught up in the moment complaining about wasting time. That’s not who I am. I have never been sent off as a Real Madrid player, and I am aware of the consequences. I apologize to the fans, the club, my teammates and the coach. We will remain united and continue to fight for this badge and for this Champions League!“

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The first leg against Benfica will be played on February 17 at Estádio da Luz, with the return trip planned FEBRUARY 25 in Santiago Barnabas. After an uneven group stage campaign, Real Madrid now face an even bigger challenge as they try to keep their Champions League hopes alive.

Rodrygo is not the only absence

With head coach Alvaro Arbeloa under pressure to steady the ship, Having a full squad available would have been crucial to avoid another setback in Europeespecially after the shocking elimination in the Copa del Rey against Albacete. Instead, Real Madrid will be forced to navigate the play-off round for a significantly shorter time.

Jude Bellingham will also miss the series after picking up an injury in the club’s most recent match against Rayo Vallecano. Medical tests revealed damage to the semitendinosus muscle in his left leg, sidelining the England midfielder until early March and adding to Real Madrid’s problems at a critical stage of the season.