SERGIO RAMOS will not face disciplinary action from Uefa after being cleared of throwing an apparent elbow towards Liverpool keeper Loris Karius in the Champions League final.
Ramos, attacked by fans and pundits alike for his bruising role in Real’s 3-1 win, lifted the trophy for Real Madrid as they claimed their fourth title in five years.
Two minutes before Karius inexplicably threw the ball straight at Madrid striker Karim Benzema for the opening goal in Kiev, Ramos was spotted making contact with the German’s head in an off-the-ball incident.
As Karius prepared to collect a cross, Ramos charged towards him and connected with his arm, visibly knocking the Reds stopper off balance.
Karius’ performance then dramatically fell apart, first gifting a goal to Benzema before dropping Gareth Bale’s swerving long-distance strike into his own net to seal a 3-1 win for Los Blancos.
But Uefa saw no wrongdoing in Ramos’ actions, ruling out any repercussions for the centre-back who drew anger for his actions throughout the night.
In the first half Ramos targeted Liverpool dangerman Mo Salah, locking the Egyptian’s arm beneath his own and throwing him to the floor in a move even judo experts have condemned.
Egyptian lawyer Bassem Wahba filed a lawsuit against Ramos for €1billion (£873million) after the incident forced Salah off and threw his World Cup dreams into jeopardy.
The 44-goal forward faces a race to be fit in time for this summer’s tournament, where his country face hosts Russia, Saudi Arabia and Uruguay in Group A.
Salah’s 89th-minute penalty against Congo sealed Egypt’s return to the World Cup after 28 years away, but club boss Jurgen Klopp appeared pessimistic after the game about his chances of playing in Russia.
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Liverpool keeper Karius was inconsolable after the game, deemed responsible for his side’s defeat as Real claimed their third consecutive European Cup and 13th in all.
A tearful Karius went to the travelling Liverpool fans to apologise for his performance, and several Liverpool players were criticised for not going over to support their teammate.
The German’s display put him in the firing line for critcism on social media, with many suggesting he could be sold as Klopp continues to search for an answer to their goalkeeping problem.
Karius himself took to Twitter to apologise to the club’s fans, some of whom paid more than £15,000 for hotels in the Ukrainian capital.
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