Raúl Asencio is charged in a case of child pornography distribution. There is no final sentence, and no one can prove he is guilty, but the matter is taking a toll on him.
Anoeta shouted at the top of their lungs: "Asencio, die." And it's not the first time. It happened to him in San Mamés, Pamplona, and Girona before.
The Trend of Insulting Asencio Begins to Spread Across All Fields
The trend seems like it could spread to all fields. It was at the end of the first half, during stoppage time. Asencio committed a foul on Berrenetxea, received a yellow card, and the crowd turned on him, chanting "Asencio, die."
Sánchez Martínez spoke with the captains, Vinícius and Oyarzabal, and the Madrid player proposed stopping the match. This time the commotion wasn't about him, but he took the insults to his teammates as if they were directed at him.
The referee stopped the match and requested the message planned by the protocol in these cases to be displayed on the video scoreboards. In Spanish and Basque: "No to racist, xenophobic, and intolerant chants, cheer and support the team while respecting the opponent."
The referee also exchanged impressions with the two coaches. The crowd fell silent, and Sánchez Martínez resumed the match.
Ancelotti: "No One Likes Being Told to Die in a Stadium"
At the end of the match, Ancelotti referred to the incident, very affected and justifying his decision to take the boy off the field:
"It was handled well. Vinícius informed the referee, and he did what needed to be done. He was affected, and I substituted him because of that and the yellow card, and no one likes being told to die in a stadium."
He also referred to Ceballos's injury during stoppage time. Ancelotti was not very explicit and simply said that "he has a muscle problem, tomorrow he will undergo tests."
Regarding Lunin's continuity in goal, after his excellent performance today, he said: "He will play the return leg. After that, we'll see. Opening the debate about the goalkeeper for the final is something that is far off."
Courtois will play both matches against Atlético in the Champions League and the Copa final if Real Madrid reaches it.