Real Madrid’s 2–1 defeat to Atlético Madrid generated disputes that continued beyond the final whistle, from the refereeing decisions on the pitch to a confrontation in the tunnel. Madrid’s complaints centred on the challenges involving Cristian Romero and Kang-in Lee, while Pedro Machado’s dismissal added a potential disciplinary consequence for José Mourinho’s coaching staff. Atlético, meanwhile, defended their performance and called for restraint in the criticism of the officials.
AS: CTA sources believe Kang-in should have been sent off
AS reports that
sources within the Technical Committee of Referees (CTA) consider Kang-in Lee’s challenge on Fede Valverde a red-card offence. The same report supports Dean Huijsen’s dismissal but describes Romero’s challenge on Jude Bellingham as more debatable. The Kang-in assessment remains attributed to AS’s sources, rather than a published RFEF verdict or disciplinary ruling.
Kang-in escaped a booking for the challenge, with no on-field VAR review. Huijsen, meanwhile, initially received a yellow card after conceding a penalty against Giuliano Simeone, before Ortiz Arias upgraded the punishment to a red following a review at the monitor.
Separately, the subsequently released VAR audio clarified why Ortiz Arias was called to review the Romero–Bellingham incident. Trujillo Suárez recommended a review over a potential mistaken-identity error, explaining that the Atlético player had stepped on the Madrid player, rather than the reverse. Ortiz Arias then cancelled Bellingham’s booking and cautioned Romero. The published exchange does not show VAR recommending a red card.
Machado and Vercellone dismissed after tunnel confrontation
Mourinho’s assistant Pedro Machado and Atlético goalkeeping coach Pablo Vercellone were both sent off following an incident in the tunnel at halftime. According to the referee’s report reproduced by Mundo Deportivo, each was dismissed for confronting a member of the opposing coaching staff and provoking a wider confrontation involving players and coaches from both teams.
The disturbance followed an exchange between Antonio Rüdiger and Morten Hjulmand as the teams left the pitch. Both coaching-staff dismissals were recorded in the 45th minute. The report also stated that the second half began five minutes late because Madrid delayed their return to the field.
Machado’s dismissal leaves Mourinho facing a possible absence from his bench staff against Villarreal, although the disciplinary outcome—and the length of any suspension—remains to be determined.
Real Madrid TV alleges double standards
Real Madrid TV criticised Ortiz Arias and the VAR team, arguing that Atlético should have been reduced to nine players before halftime. The channel maintained that the decisions involving Romero and Kang-in prevented a straightforward assessment of the match on sporting grounds.
“We don’t know what would have happened if Atlético had been down to nine men,” the channel stated.
“I’m sure many Real Madrid fans are eager to get up and leave this competition. It makes you want to get up and leave this competition.”
RMTV also alleged that Madrid were being treated differently from their opponents.
“There’s a double standard when it comes to Madrid. They don’t let Real Madrid compete. But these are the decisions of LaLiga, of the Federation…”
The channel accepted Huijsen’s dismissal while arguing that earlier decisions had already altered the contest.
“They were right about Huijsen’s foul, but we also don’t know if sporting justice would have left Atlético Madrid with nine players in the first half. Against Betis, the penalty should have been retaken. In Elche, Osorio should have been sent off. And today, with eleven against nine, the match would have been very different. We must denounce the media silence surrounding this whole situation that Real Madrid is enduring.”
Simeone responds to Mourinho: “We have to be careful with what we say”
Diego Simeone responded to Mourinho’s criticism of the officials by stressing the responsibility that comes with a coach’s public platform. The Atlético manager argued that disagreement with refereeing decisions should not extend to disrespecting the people making them.
“We respect everyone’s opinions, but we have to remember that Flick, Mourinho, Pellegrini, and Simeone are in a privileged position, with a huge amount of exposure as coaches, and we have to be careful with what we say. We have to respect the referee and our colleagues. When you cross that line of respect, no matter who you are—Mourinho, Simeone, Flick, or Pellegrini—it’s unacceptable; you can’t cross that line.”
Asked about the controversial incidents, Simeone sought to redirect the discussion towards Atlético’s collective performance and their work against Madrid’s transitions.
“I’m going to talk about the game. It was intense. I think we controlled it at all times. Real Madrid is a team with incredible transitions, with extraordinary players, and we controlled almost every chance they had. I’m proud of the team’s collective effort. We knew where we could hurt them. We knew it was down the right flank, and we’re not going to stop improving the team’s performance despite the situations people want to discuss.”
Simeone identified Giuliano’s involvement in the penalty as the moment that changed the match. Atlético subsequently used their numerical advantage to create the second goal, with Giuliano supplying Jonathan David, before Rüdiger’s late header gave Madrid an opportunity to push for an equaliser.
“It’s clear that 1–0 wasn’t enough. As I’ve been saying, we’re still developing as a team. Today the team improved, they had that composure, especially to maintain their numerical advantage,” Simeone said.
On Romero’s challenge, Simeone referred to the explanation given about the incident rather than offering his own detailed assessment.
“The head referee already said it wasn’t a sending-off. Now, if we want to dwell on that, fine, let’s focus on that. But we won the game.”
Giuliano Simeone calls for respect towards referees
Giuliano Simeone, who won the penalty that resulted in Huijsen’s dismissal and provided the assist for Atlético’s second goal, was also asked about Mourinho’s comments after the match. His response focused on the officials’ right to be treated respectfully.
“I have a lot of respect for referees. They’re people, sometimes they’re right, sometimes they’re wrong. If they made that decision, it’s because that’s how they saw it. I have a lot of respect for them because, first and foremost, they’re people.”
Asked about the attention surrounding the refereeing, Giuliano said Atlético’s priority remained their own development.
“We always focus on ourselves,” he said. “We focus on playing, improving, and continuing to improve as a group.”
Koke highlights possession—and room for improvement
Koke credited Atlético’s collective effort for the victory, highlighting their attempts to sustain attacks and find weaknesses in Madrid’s defensive organisation. He also acknowledged that his team could have handled their numerical advantage more effectively.
“We tried to keep possession, control the attacks, and exploit the opponent’s weaknesses. The effort came from the whole team. We also need to learn from when they were down to ten men and how to manage those situations.”
Baena defends Romero decision and Atlético’s second-half approach
Álex Baena described a cautious first half followed by a more assertive Atlético performance after the interval.
“The first half was very cautious, with both teams trying to avoid mistakes. We had some very good spells where we were in control. In the second half, we came out with a different mindset, knowing we could hurt them.”
Baena also highlighted Atlético’s willingness to keep attacking after taking the lead, rather than immediately retreating and protecting their advantage.
“We often criticize our team for sitting too deep after scoring, but this team showed ambition and a desire for more. They weren’t pressing high and were playing in a low to mid-block. We managed every moment of the game well, and it was a step forward for the team.”
On Romero’s challenge against Bellingham, Baena argued that a yellow card was the appropriate punishment.
“We know Cuti: he’s a very aggressive player, he’ll go all out for the ball. I don’t think it warranted a red card; it remained a yellow, and I think that’s fair. The referee is letting the game flow quite a bit, which is great for the spectators. The game hasn’t been stopped much, and that’s good for the flow of play.”
Oblak compares Huijsen’s dismissal with Atlético’s Villarreal incident
Jan Oblak welcomed the victory but regretted the late goal that allowed Madrid to threaten a comeback.
“It was a shame about their goal. We played a very good match and gave them a lifeline in the final minutes. A pretty complete performance, very happy with the points. The league is long, we know we have a long, long, long road ahead. Let’s keep going like this, winning points.”
Asked about the refereeing, Oblak drew a comparison between Huijsen’s dismissal and Robin Le Normand’s earlier sending-off against Villarreal. His argument was about consistency: if Le Normand’s challenge had warranted a red card, he believed Huijsen’s should receive the same punishment.
The goalkeeper also downplayed the confrontation in the tunnel and said he had not realised that members of both coaching staffs had been dismissed.
“I’ve been around, nothing serious. A few different opinions from each team. I didn’t know there had been any expulsions.”
Video: Bellingham confronts the referee over Atlético challenges
Bellingham was filmed approaching Ortiz Arias to protest the two challenges for which Madrid had demanded red cards. The midfielder’s complaints concerned Romero’s challenge on him and Kang-in’s challenge on Valverde, with both Atlético players remaining on the pitch.
