Real Madrid Confidencial Former Referee Estrada Fernández Blasts VAR Over This Controversial Play
Rayo Vallecano had to finish the match with one less player due to an action in the 65th minute.
Real Madrid maintains its momentum in the fight for La Liga and, by defeating Rayo at Santiago Bernabéu, secured three key points. Carlo Ancelotti's team matches Barcelona in the standings and overtakes Atlético, which is now one point behind both.
The victory was built on a great first half, in which Kylian Mbappé and Vinícius scored. Pedro Díaz narrowed the gap in first-half stoppage time, but the score remained unchanged after the break.
Several Controversial Actions in the Match
Real Madrid started the match taking control, with a very active Vinícius causing danger in each of his attacks.
Two minutes in, the Brazilian requested a penalty after a stomp by Lejeune inside the area. However, neither the referee nor the VAR considered the play worthy of a penalty.
During the match commentary, Real Madrid TV took the opportunity to comment on the controversial play between Vinícius and Lejeune.
"At the time, penalties were called for Tchouaméni and Camavinga. Following the same criteria, this play should have been a penalty", they noted.
A Play That Went Unnoticed
Meanwhile, in the second half, the white team could have extended the lead with a one-on-one by Vinícius.
The Brazilian forward was brought down by Ratiu when he was already facing the goal, but the action was annulled for offside.
Xavier Estrada Fernández, former First Division referee, spoke about the controversial play on his social media.
"Unbelievable that in a penalty and red card play against Vinícius against Rayo Vallecano, it is annulled for offside without using the semi-automatic. There won't be audios because it hasn't been reviewed. Did someone in the VAR miss it?", he asked on 'X'.
At no point did the VAR stop to analyze a quite controversial play that could have meant the expulsion of the Rayo player.
Despite everything, Real Madrid managed to win thanks to the goals of Kylian Mbappé and Vinícius. This way, the white team is now co-leader of the championship and faces the return of the quarterfinals in the best possible way.
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