Former Real Madrid manager Manuel Pellegrini told the press that his side were hard-done by following Real Betis’ 2-0 defeat at the Santiago Bernabeu. The Chilean coach was not mincing his words when it came to the decision to award Los Blancos a penalty during a coming together between Vinicius Junior and Rui Silva.
Pellegrini’s side were in the game until the final 20 minutes, when the match stretched away from them following a brace from Kylian Mbappe, who got his first goals for Real Madrid in domestic football.
“We played a good game, as we intended to play here at the Bernabeu against a great team like Real Madrid, which was going through a delicate moment. We tried to play as equals, I think we achieved it in a large part of the match. We had opportunities to have opened the scoring.”
How is this a penalty. This is a dive from Vinicius.
— Slesh (@FCBSlesh) September 1, 2024
The Brazilian was through on goal when he touched it past Silva, and went down after contact with the Portuguese goalkeeper. Pellegrini was adamant that it was Vinicius that had initiated the contact though.
“The goal from Mbappe came, the game opened up a little more, and a second goal in which the VAR intervened in a penalty where Vinicius dives once the ball has gone, he throws himself over the goalkeeper. The referee considered that the VAR had to be reviewed and with that the match was put in Real Madrid’s favour,” Pellegrini told Sport.
He also referenced a previous example where referee Javier Alberola Rojas had not given Betis a penalty last season.
“We were 1-0, there was time left to try to tie or win the game and that play came in which the VAR intervened, it was likely that it would intervene. I remember that this same referee last year with us went to see a penalty against Assane [Diao] and judged that it wasn’t, today it was for Real Madrid, and the game was finally settled for them.”
Pellegrini was not the only one to give out about the decision, which was taken after a VAR review. Dutch legend Marco van Basten was commenting on the match for Dutch media, and did not see a penalty either.
“Vinicius himself kicked the Betis goalkeeper in the legs, who didn’t even do anything. What rubbish it is having VAR to see this as a penalty? It’s a typical example that the VAR has never played this game. If it had, you would know.”
Simultaneously, Real Madrid TV have put out another attack on Alberola as well, claiming that Real Madrid were the victims of a scandalous refereeing display. They claim that penalties not given on Dani Ceballos and for hand-ball from a Vinicius cross were unfair, although neither were reviewed by VAR.
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