Football players in action during a match while the referee reviews the VAR on a split screen.
VAR review of Rodrygo penalty | Camara DAZN
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The VAR Anomaly with Real Madrid: Sánchez Martínez Confirms It at San Mamés

Real Madrid is the team that suffers the most from the referee upholding his decision after reviewing a play in the VAR

by

Alex Moreno

Real Madrid suffered a painful defeat at San Mamés after falling 2-1 to Athletic Club. Beyond the result, the match left a curious statistical anomaly related to the VAR . Sánchez Martínez, the main referee, made an unusual decision when he reviewed an action on the monitor and upheld his initial decision.

A soccer referee on the field during a match between Athletic Bilbao and Real Madrid, with the score at 0-0 in the 15th minute.
Sanchez Martinez maintains his decision | DAZN

A Strange Case in La Liga

Of the 632 actions reviewed by referees on the monitor at the request of the VAR in La Liga, only on 60 occasions did the referee maintain his initial opinion . This equates to approximately 1 in 10 reviews.

For Real Madrid, this situation has occurred three times :

  • Against Atlético de Madrid in 2021, with Hernández Hernández.
  • Against Sevilla in 2022, with Cuadra Fernández.
  • Against Athletic in 2024, with Sánchez Martínez.

In today's case, the play reviewed was a foul inside the area on Rodrygo that seemed like a penalty . However, after looking at the monitor, Sánchez Martínez confirmed his decision not to award the penalty.

A match to forget

Real Madrid dropped three vital points in the fight for the lead. Alex Berenguer put Athletic ahead in the 53rd minute after a defensive error.

Mbappé had a chance to equalize from the penalty spot in the 68th minute , but Agirrezabala blocked his shot. In the 78th, Jude Bellingham equalized with a well-timed finish.

However, two minutes later, a mistake by Fede Valverde in the ball's exit allowed Guruzeta to score the final 2-1 . The error proved fatal for Madrid's aspirations.

Without leadership and with doubts

The defeat not only means losing three points, but also missing the opportunity to overtake FC Barcelona in the table . Now, Madrid remains second awaiting the result of Barça against Valencia.

The match leaves questions about the effectiveness of the attack, refereeing decisions and individual errors. In addition, the performance of the VAR is once again under scrutiny , especially in a season full of controversy.

Real Madrid will have to quickly recover if they want to stay in the title race.

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