A series of controversial refereeing decisions marked the match at the Santiago Bernabéu, with several key moments sparking debate.
In the 54th minute, with the score tied at 1-1, Real Madrid appealed for a penalty after Marseille defender Leonardo Balerdi challenged Kylian Mbappé. Balerdi’s studs-up tackle made contact with the ball but also with the Madrid forward’s foot. According to refereeing analyst Iturralde González, it was a clear penalty and a yellow card. “It was a reckless play that could have caused an injury,” he stated. However, Bosnian referee Irfan Peljto did not award the spot-kick, and the decision was not reviewed by VAR.
Another major incident occurred in the 68th minute when Dani Carvajal was sent off for an altercation with goalkeeper Gerónimo Rulli. Replays showed Carvajal delivering a slight headbutt, prompting a VAR review. Iturralde González deemed the action a clear red card offense, an opinion validated when Peljto consulted the monitor and dismissed the Real Madrid player.
The penalty that allowed Madrid to take a 2-1 lead, awarded for a handball by Facundo Medina, was less clear-cut for the analyst. While Iturralde was hesitant, he acknowledged that “given the current interpretation of the handball rule, it is an awardable penalty.”
Earlier in the match, two other penalty decisions were more straightforward. In the 8th minute, Franco Mastantuono’s appeal for a foul by Rulli was correctly dismissed, as Iturralde noted that the player initiated the contact. Conversely, the penalty awarded for Geoffrey Kondogbia’s foul on Rodrygo was deemed a “clear penalty” by the expert, as Kondogbia went in with a high knee.
Iturralde also pointed out that the referee failed to issue yellow cards to Marseille players on two occasions: once for a foul by Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang on Dean Huijsen and again for a clear block on Mbappé at the edge of the penalty area.
Source link
