Controversy? Mourinho fumes after Real Madrid’s shock defeat as split-second Mbappe penalty decision exposed
· Yahoo Sports
Jose Mourinho was left frustrated after Real Madrid suffered their first defeat of the season, with a late Kylian Mbappe penalty miss becoming one of the biggest talking points from the 1-0 loss to Real Betis.
Mbappe had the chance to rescue a point in the 93rd minute after Vinicius Junior was fouled, but Real Betis goalkeeper Alvaro Valles produced another huge save to deny the Frenchman.
Visit grenadier.co.za for more information.
The Madrid bench immediately questioned whether the penalty should have been retaken after Marc Bartra appeared to enter the box before Mbappe struck the ball.
Photo by Eric Verhoeven/Soccrates/Getty ImagesMarc Bartra’s split-second decision helped Real Betis avoid a retake
Replays showed that Bartra was the first defender to breach the penalty-area perimeter and he later cleared the ball after Valles saved Mbappe’s effort.
However, the crucial detail was where Bartra’s feet were at the exact moment Mbappe made contact.
Although the defender was leaning into the area, he was still airborne and had not yet touched the grass inside the box.
That meant the officials did not consider him to have encroached in a way that required the penalty to be retaken. It was a tiny distinction, but it had a huge impact on the closing stages.
Real Madrid had also seen another potential route back into the match disappear earlier when substitute Carlos Espi appeared to score, only for VAR to rule the goal out for a marginal offside in the build-up.
Photo by Eric Verhoeven/Soccrates/Getty ImagesFor Mourinho, the defeat was difficult to understand given how much of the match his side had controlled.
Speaking after the game, the Portuguese manager said: ‘Sometimes you lose without knowing why, and that is something that cannot be explained. We were in complete control of the match, and we created many attacks and chances. Had it ended in a draw we would have felt frustrated, so imagine how we feel with a defeat.’
Mourinho was also careful not to blame the officials for the result. He said he had not seen the penalty incident or disallowed goal clearly enough to judge them.
‘I may change my mind tomorrow, but not today,’ Mourinho said. ‘The truth is I do not know why we lost because the team played very well.’
He then refused to criticise his players, adding: ‘I have nothing to blame the players for. We deserved to win, but deserving does not guarantee you a point.’
The defeat ends Real Madrid’s run of three straight La Liga victories and comes just before their Champions League campaign begins next Tuesday against Inter.
Read more: