Real Madrid suffered a surprise 1-0 defeat to Espanyol at the RCDE Stadium in Barcelona, with controversy surrounding refereeing decisions and the use of Video Assistant Referee (VAR). The Whites dominated the match from the start but were denied by crucial refereeing calls.
In the 62nd minute, Espanyol’s Carlos Romero was tackled from behind by Kylian Mbappé, which many felt should have been a red card. However, referee Muñiz Ruiz only gave Romero a yellow card, and VAR did not intervene to review the incident.
This mistake cost Real Madrid dearly as Romero scored the winning goal in the 85th minute after a counterattack. The decision denied Real Madrid a clear scoring chance, and they were left frustrated with the refereeing.
Despite being on top of the league table, Real Madrid’s defeat was a setback, but it could have been more costly if not for goalkeeper Courtois making several impressive saves throughout the match. The team’s performance and quality ultimately fell short due to key refereeing decisions and VAR controversy.
Source: https://www.realmadrid.com/en-US/news/football/first-team/reports/cronica-espanyol-real-madrid-jornada-22-liga-01-02-2025