Alex Brotherton
Toni Kroos might've ended Pedri's Euro 2024 with a brutal tackle, but he didn't even get booked.
On Friday Spain and Germany met in a heavyweight quarter-final clash at Euro 2024.
A match-up that could quite easily be a final, some fans expected a cagey affair with neither side wanting to expose themselves in defence.
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That wasn't the case in the opening stages though, with both sides willing to attack and put their foot in with necessary.
The latter can certainly be said of German midfielder Toni Kroos, who slammed into Spain youngster with a heavy challenge less than four minutes into the match.
The 21-year-old Barcelona star - who has been hampered by injury over the last two years - continued briefly before sitting down and asking to be substituted.
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Pedri was visibly upset as he left the field, and fans on social media couldn't believe Kroos wasn't booked by referee Anthony Taylor.
"F****** Kroos man..." one fan tweeted, while another commented: "VERY rough challenge on Pedri by Toni Kroos, NO YELLOW CARD GIVEN!"
A third said: "An absolute stonewall yellow card for Toni Kroos. Obviously not given by Anthony Taylor."
A fourth fumed: "Toni Kroos is a disgusting player, why wasn’t he given a yellow card for this dirty challenge on Pedri?!"
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Spain were further enraged when Kroos again escaped a booking when he caught 16-year-old Lamine Yamal on the top of the foot.
Interestingly, both of the players fouled by the Real Madrid star play for Barcelona.
Kroos' teammate Antonio Rudiger put in a heavy challenge of his own on Pedri's replacement Dani Olmo, but he did not escape a yellow card.
The defender will miss Germany's semi-final against France or Portugal, should they get there.
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