After a 1-1 draw in the Madrid Derby against Atletico Madrid on Saturday, Real Madrid will maintain a slim one-point lead atop La Liga. A controversial penalty that Julian Alvarez buried for his 17th goal in all competitions in the first half was canceled out by Kylian Mbappe’s first goal in this rivalry in the second half. After a week during which Los Blancos wrote a letter to the Spanish Football Federation complaining about the poor refereeing performance during their loss to Espanyol, issues reared their head again during this derby match.
Samuel Lino ran into the outstretched leg of Aurlien Tchouameni, and after a VAR review, the penalty was given. To Madrid’s credit, they didn’t get caught up in that issue and scored right after the second half for a draw that keeps them atop the league with a critical Champions League fixture against Manchester City coming on Tuesday.
How it went down
It was an important day at the Santiago Bernabeu with Marcelo being honored upon his retirement and that gravity carried over the entire match with the duo battling for the top of La Liga. Rivalry moments are always times when every moment matters and not much could separate the duo.
A controversial penalty
After Real Madrid published a letter complaining about referee mistakes in their loss to Espanyol, all eyes would be on decisions in this match, and it didn’t take long for VAR to come into play. While there was contact between Tchouameni and Lino in the box, it wasn’t a moment that seemed like it warranted a penalty, but there was contact. This adds fuel to the fire after Spanish league president Javier Tebas’ comments this week
“They have built up an exaggerated tale of victimization that is completely baseless with, in my opinion, the goal of undermining the competition. It is completely over the top. They have lost their minds,” Tebas said in response to the letter.
This call may have been bigger if Real Madrid failed to win the match but when they could’ve gone four points clear atop La Liga, it’s quite a significant goal as well.
“Football doesn’t expect this to be a penalty. Is there contact or a slight contact on the play? The answer is yes. But does football expect, does it want this as a penalty? The answer is no,” CBS Sports rules expert Christina Unkel said about the penalty decision.
“The referee’s decision on the field should always be left alone in this play and because the ball is already a far-gone move, the contact is minimal. Not every touch is a penalty. So the VAR recommendation here was improper, that’s the first error and then the referee’s acceptance of the VARs recommendation, he should’ve respectfully declined it.”
Mbappe the poacher
After being criticized by Real Madrid legend Cristiano Ronaldo, forward Kylian Mbappe stepped up in the derby. Taking up a central position, he was there to lash in the rebound from a shot that Jude Bellingham took, bringing Real Madrid level in the match. Naturally a left winger, Mbappe has struggled with drifting left into spaces already occupied by Vinicius Junior, leaving no one in the center of the box for a Madrid attack that can create from anywhere. But he did well to stay centrally, and it paid off.
If Mbappe is able to become more of a poacher while allowing others to create, it would only mean good things for Los Blancos in the long run. Having just joined in the summer from PSG, it’s natural for Mbappe to have growing pains while adjusting to his teammates, but once those are worked out, that’s when Los Blancos will find a new gear and become a true problem for the rest of the soccer universe.
What’s next?
For Real Madrid, the stakes will continue to rise with them heading to Manchester for the first leg of the Champions League knockout phase against Manchester City midweek. The winner of that two-legged tie will book spot in the round of 16 of the Champions League while the loser will be out of the competition all together. Getting a draw would set Real up well. Atletico Madrid won’t be back in action until next weekend due to already qualifying for the last 16.
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