CARDIFF City left-back Joe Bennet has apologised following his dangerous foul on Leroy Sane in the Bluebirds’ 2-0 FA Cup defeat.
The 27-year-old was booked for a late challenge in the first half and sent off in added time in the second half.
Manchester city have confirmed the German winger is set for a spell on the sidelines after suffering ankle ligament damage.
After the game he tweeted: “Just want to apologise to Leroy Sane for my tackle today.
“I tried to stop the counterattack and completely mistimed my attempt. I didn’t mean to catch him like I did and I hope he recovers quickly.”
The German national team also took to Twitter and asked Cardiff not to hurt their players ahead of the World Cup.
German National team Tweet
Neil Warnock defended his players and said: “He (Guardiola) is in England, what do you expect? I suppose when you’re like that, you want everything to be nice, pretty and perfect.”
Match report
MANCHESTER City strolled through in style at the Cardiff City Stadium after 2-0 win putting them in to the fifth round of the FA Cup.
City strolled through with ease after two first half goals from Kevin De Bruyne and Raheem Sterling.
A record home crowd of 33,000 hoped their side could cause an upset but instead, witnessed a master class from one of the best teams on the planet.
The atmosphere was electric, and the fans were playing their part until De Bruyne silenced the crowd. His cheeky free kick under the wall left Neil Etheridge watching on as it rustled the net. Shortly after, Bernardo Silva had a goal ruled out for offside.
The second half showed much of the same as City were comfortable in possession and controlled the game. Cardiff had a few decent half chances with Junior Hoilett testing the City keeper and Kenneth Zohore blasting over, but ultimately the City defence were untroubled.
A shock was result was unlikely against this City side who have only lost once this season in the Premier League. This game was a free hit for Cardiff and they can be proud of their efforts.
Before the game Neil Warnock said City were the best team in the world. After the game, he said: “We knew there would be a difference in class and they didn’t disappointment me.
“If they had our chances we might have scored two or three.
“We had some good chances, but that lack of quality showed the difference in class. But I really enjoyed it, we could have easily gone under but all credit to the lads they stuck in there.”
Pep Guardiola praised his sides commitment after the win.
“A few players have played a lot of minutes, but again they were ready.” He said.
“Playing in the FA Cup away against Championship teams in top of league, like Cardiff are at the moment, is so complicated, we reacted like a mature team. I am so proud.”
Cardiff will look to bounce back on Saturday as they face a tough trip to face Leeds at Elland Road.
Cardiff City Stadium (Credit: Phil Marsh)
