Arsenal legend Ian Wright described the Alfredo Di Stefano Stadium's pitch, which hosted Real Madrid Femenino vs Arsenal Women, as a disgrace.
Last night, Real Madrid Femenino got the upper hand over Arsenal Women in the Champions League quarter-final first leg. A first-half goal from the Ecuadorian Linda Caicedo opened the scoring for Real Madrid, which was then added to late in the game by Spain international Athenea del Castillo.
Next up, Real Madrid will travel to England, with the hopes of defending their lead in the second leg of this tie. Shamefully but importantly, the main talking point from the first leg was not Real Madrid battling Arsenal and getting off to a two-goal head start but instead, the state of the pitch was widely addressed.
Arsenal legend Ian Wright slams Real Madrid's pitch
Heavy rain in the Spanish capital on Tuesday caused less-than-ideal playing conditions. That's an understatement, the pitch was awful and entirely unsafe. The standard must be better, especially at this incredibly high level.
Throughout the match, the players did well to get on with their game, despite the awful playing conditions. While the players didn't make it clear with their expressions, it was an uncomfortable watch, with the wet and muddy conditions dictating some key moments in the fixture.
Real Madrid, wearing the royal white jersey, put the conditions on full display. As the game wore on, the white was becoming less and less visible, tainted by the mud which had covered the player's bodies.
Muddy kits are synonymous with football history, but the key word there is history. As the game has progressed, we see fewer muddy kits, due to groundwork improving at different stadiums. This, unfortunately, represents a stark difference and inequality between the men's and the women's game.
Critics and pundits are saying that last night's game should have been played at the Bernabeu Stadium. Admittedly, this is impossible to disagree with. Next week's fixture will be played at the Emirates Stadium, where Arsenal's men's team play their fixtures, which paints Real Madrid in a poor light.
One pundit and football legend who continuously roots for the betterment of the women's game is Ian Wright. Watching the game from home, Wrighty posted a video to his Instagram, tagging the Women's Champions League and calling the conditions the women had to play in as being a "f****** disgrace."
In a competition like the Women's Champions League, particularly in the knockout stages, there is no excuse for woeful playing conditions. Of course, Real Madrid cannot dictate the weather, this is out of anybody's hands. However, the response to the weather and where the game was placed should have been conducted better.
Needless to say, it was a great victory from Real Madrid who now carry great hope into the second leg. Hopefully, a lesson from the response to the match can be learned here.