El Clásico: "Mendy fouled Braithwaite, it's a penalty" - Iturralde
AS and Cadena SER resident referee Iturralde González felt that Gil Manzano should have given Barcelona a penalty on 83 minutes and sent Mendy off.
Saturday's Clásico between Real Madrid and Barcelona produced a controversial incident on 83 minutes when Férland Mendy tugged at Martin Braithwate inside the area, forcing the Barça forward to fall to the ground. Match official Gil Mazano felt it wasn't a foul - an opinion which wasn't shared by former Spanish ref and expert for Diario AS and Cadena SER, Eduardio Iturralde González who thought Barcelona should have been awarded a penalty: “It's a penalty, no doubt about it, he is thrown off-balance as he is running for the ball. Those kinds of moves affect your balance because you are moving in one direction and the defender tugs your arm to pull you in the other direction. It's a really stupid penalty. If they were both running in the same direction, it might not be enough but that's not the case here.. It's a not an obvious mistake and that's why he didn't consult VAR. It's one thing to be a penalty and other to be a clear mistake with an appeal”.
Barcelona's penalty appeal in the first half
Earlier, on 37 minutes. Dembélé cut inside the area and Mendy blocked his path to snatch the ball. The Barcelona winger went down but Gil Manzano didn't consider there was a foul and neither did VAR. For Iturralde González, it wasn't a penalty - in spite of Barça's protests.
Iturralde González explained why Gil Manzano didn't point to the spot: “He puts his leg in the way. It's not enough to blow for a penalty. When you see it in slow motion it looks worse than it is. Foe me, the ref made the right call in letting play continue. You have to consider those kinds of moves right at the moment they happen,” Iturralde González explained.