Ancelotti's Fury: Referee's Controversial Decision Hands Real Madrid Shock Defeat

Feb 2, 2025

Prince Jean

Espanyol’s Carlos Romero celebrates after scoring the winning goal against Real Madrid in a tense LaLiga match. Credit:gettyimages

Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti criticized referee Alejandro Muniz Ruiz for his "hard to explain" decision not to give Espanyol’s Carlos Romero a red card. Romero later scored the winning goal in a 1-0 victory over Real Madrid on Saturday night.

Romero also apologized for his foul on Kylian Mbappé. He received a yellow card for the tackle in the 61st minute, where he stopped Mbappé from behind during a counterattack.

In the 85th minute, Romero scored the decisive goal. This loss leaves Real Madrid only one point ahead of Atlético Madrid in LaLiga. Ancelotti said,

“The referee and VAR’s decision is hard to understand. Everyone saw it. Protecting players is important. It was a clear foul, a very bad tackle. Luckily, Mbappé wasn’t hurt, but VAR should have acted. It’s confusing why no red card was given.”