In the match report published on its official website following the 2-1 loss to Atlético at the “Metropolitano,” Real Madrid focused extensively on the decisions made by Ortiz Arias, describing the refereeing as decisive for the outcome of the derby, but also as unacceptable.
Specifically, Real claimed that the referee failed to send off two Atlético players in the first half! The first incident occurred in the 35th minute, when Kuti Romero stomped on Bellingham’s knee with his cleats. Ortiz Arias initially showed the English player a yellow card, but after a VAR review, he went to the monitor. After reviewing the play, he rescinded Bellingham’s card and showed Romero a yellow card, without sending him off.
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Nine minutes later, Real Madrid called for a foul by Kang-in Lee on Valverde, with the South Korean striking the Uruguayan’s left ankle with his studs. The Madrid side argued that this was a second incident warranting a red card, noting that VAR did not intervene.
In the second half, however, Real Madrid also found themselves down to ten men. In the 50th minute, Ortiz Arias awarded a penalty to Atlético for a foul by Huissen on Giuliano and initially showed the defender a yellow card. After reviewing the play via VAR, he reversed his decision and sent him off.
Real Madrid’s match report is accompanied by photos from the derby, with particular emphasis on the tough tackles that were a key point in the club’s official statement.
*photo source: AP
