A heated Madrid derby at the Metropolitano ended in a painful defeat for Real Madrid. However, the 2-1 scoreline in favor of Atlético Madrid has been completely overshadowed by a series of highly controversial refereeing decisions.
Real Madrid camp and fans are pointing fingers directly at referee Ortiz Arias, whose polarizing calls in both halves dramatically altered the course of the match.
The First-Half Flashpoints
The match began quietly, but the tension exploded around the 35-minute mark. Real Madrid’s Jude Bellingham reached a loose ball first, only for Atlético’s Cuti Romero to plant his studs directly into Bellingham’s left knee.
In an astonishing initial call, Ortiz Arias handed Bellingham a yellow card. Though VAR official Trujillo Suárez intervened and called Arias to the monitor, the referee only rescinded Bellingham’s card and issued a yellow to Romero—sparing the Atlético defender a clear red.
Just nine minutes later, controversy struck again. Atlético’s Kang-In Lee caught Fede Valverde on his left ankle with a dangerous, studs-up challenge. Despite standing close to the play, Ortiz Arias didn't brandish a card, and VAR chose not to intervene, leaving Real Madrid furious going into the halftime break.
Penalty, Red Card, and the Second-Half Collapse
The refereeing decisions grew even more decisive in the second half. In the 50th minute, Ortiz Arias whistled a penalty against Real Madrid’s Huijsen for a foul on Giuliano, initially showing the defender a yellow card. After another VAR review, Arias upgraded the yellow to a straight red, leaving Mourinho’s side down to ten men.
Grimaldo converted the penalty to put Atlético ahead 1-0. The home side quickly capitalized on their numerical advantage, with J. David doubling the lead to 2-0 in the 59th minute.
A Late Fightback Falls Short
Despite playing with ten men, Real Madrid refused to back down. Diomande missed a crucial one-on-one opportunity against Jan Oblak in the 76th minute that could have sparked an earlier comeback.
Hope finally arrived in the 89th minute when Antonio Rüdiger powered home a header from a Bernardo free-kick. However, it proved to be too little, too late. Despite a frantic push in stoppage time, Mourinho's men could not find the equalizer, leaving the Metropolitano empty-handed and deeply aggrieved.
