Real Madrid started the new year as it ended the previous one. Indeed, the Merengues won 1-0 yesterday against Mallorca at the Santiago-Bernabéu stadium. Carlo Ancelotti’s troops therefore continue their fine series of 18 matches without defeat in all competitions. Indeed, the Madrilenians’ last setback dates back to September 24 against Atlético de Madrid (3-1). Since then, they have been undefeated, sitting at the top of La Liga tied with Girona (48 points).
A contentious goal?
But if Real Madrid won all three points on Wednesday evening, the meeting was marked by several controversies. The first concerns the winning goal by Antonio Rüdiger. The German placed a winning helmet shot into the top corner in the 78th minute to give his team a success. But some believe that this goal should not have been validated for the simple reason that Dani Carvajal fouled an opposing player before that.
Sport writes on this subject: “scandal with Rüdiger’s goal which gives victory to Madrid! Carvajal illegally blocks Raíllo and allows Rüdiger to score. The Mallorcan fans complained on the pitch and Aguirre did so at the end (…) It was very difficult for Madrid to beat Mallorca in one of the toughest matches of the season. Even the return of Vinícius did not give breath to the white team, who had to use a set piece to beat the Balearic team. And the goal caused a lot of controversy because it was preceded by a blatant foul by Carvajal on Raíllo. The German headed towards the goal with plenty of advantages thanks to this illegal action”.
Vinicius Jr targeted again
The pro-Barça media has given it another layer. “The referee may not have detected it but with VAR the image could not have gone unnoticed. This is a clear foul that directly affects the goal, so it should have been overturned once the footage was viewed. On the VAR side, a priori, the referee was not informed of anything. However, Mallorca protested. But the referee did not change his mind. At a press conference after the match, Javier Aguirre, the team’s coach, said: “we complained about this catch, but for the referee, it was not enough and he is the one in charge, the one who knows best (…) It’s annoying that the difference is made on a corner. »
In addition to the disputed goal, the match was marked by a new controversy surrounding Vinicius Jr. The Brazilian, who returned to the field yesterday after several weeks of absence, was chambered by Pablo Maffeo. The latter positioned himself in front of the Brazilian and mimed a crying face to tell the Real Madrid player that he was only complaining. Often targeted in Spain, Vini Jr did not seem to react to this little attack. The important thing was elsewhere for the player and his team, who won a valuable victory last night.
