Martin Zubimendi’s Player of the Match performance against Sporting CP came with the added bonus that he’s avoided suspension for the Champions League semi-final first leg.
Martin Zubimendi appeared to be back to his best on Wednesday, winning the Player of the Match award as Arsenal edged past Sporting CP to reach the semi-finals of the Champions League.
But Zubimendi’s performance was particularly impressive because he was playing the game on a tightrope, knowing a yellow card would see him picking up a suspension for Arsenal’s Champions League semi-final first leg match against Atletico Madrid.
Having avoided a booking, Zubimendi will now be available, and he’s no longer at risk of a yellow-card ban in any Champions League game this season.
That’s because yellow cards are effectively wiped after the quarter-finals, so even if Zubimendi is booked in the first leg of the semis, he won’t miss the second leg.
Similarly, if Arsenal make the final, it won’t matter if Zubimendi picks up yellow cards in both legs of the semis, he still won’t be suspended.
Zubimendi wasn’t the only Arsenal player at risk of suspension, as Christian Norgaard was also one yellow away from a ban. But Norgaard’s job of avoiding a booking was significantly easier, given he didn’t feature in Wednesday’s match.
Zubimendi, Declan Rice, and Mikel Merino all served yellow-card suspensions earlier in the tournament, with Zubimendi absent against Slavia Praha and both Rice and Merino missing the final League Phase game against Kairat Almaty.
But Arsenal have avoided any suspensions in the knockout stages so far, and it’s now only possible for their players to receive red-card bans, not yellow-card bans.