Real Madrid denied late penalty: “It’s a penalty from here to the moon”
Head coach Alvaro Arbeloa was furious that a raised arm on Kylian Mbappé was not called for a penalty against Girona.
Real Madrid were left frustrated after a 1-1 draw against Girona on Friday that may have spelled the end of their title challenge. Los Blancos took the lead through Fede Valverde but a second-half strike from Thomas Lemar drew Girona level and the Catalan side were able to see out the game for a point.
The big talking point from the game, however, was a late incident that left Kylian Mbappé bleeding from his head. Making a darting run into the Girona box, Mbappé was caught by a flailing arm from defender Vitor Reis. The referee waved away Madrid’s appeals for a foul, despite Mbappé suffering a facial cut as a result.
The officials ruled that the collision was accidental and did not involve excessive force from the on-loan defender. But Arbeloa, speaking after the game, was left astounded by the the referee’s call.
What did you think of that possible penalty on Mbappé at the end?
It’s a penalty kick from here to the moon. And it’s just one more. Another one. It’s what we have, it’s what it is.
Do you understand that VAR won’t be involved?
Neither I nor anyone else understands it. VAR intervenes when it suits them, and when it doesn’t, it doesn’t. I already said it yesterday, and you know my opinion. These events confirm it. It’s a clear foul. Kylian was called for a foul in the first half that was even less serious. We’ve had many problems with referees. With this one, in Mallorca... it’s the same old story.
What feeling do you leave with?
It wasn’t our best performance, but we had to win. With all the chances we created and how little we clicked, plus a strong enough lineup... we should have scored a few more goals. But it wasn’t to be. And we leave with this draw.
Are you worried that Kylian and Vinicius are scoring less?
I can’t worry about two players with the stats they have. They’re among the top four or five in the world. We need to improve many things collectively, because we struggle against teams that wait for us. We continue to struggle, and it has more to do with our collective performance than individual performance. Let’s hope things go better on Wednesday.
Have you spoken to the referee?
No, nothing.
Do you feel that the league has been definitively lost today?
No, I’ll only have it the day we lose it. Until that happens, we’ll give our all in every match. This is Real Madrid, and we have to fight until the very last day.
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