“Two red cards! Two!” Jude Bellingham shouted at the officials as the aftermath of Atletico Madrid vs Real Madrid quickly moved away from the scoreline and into a dispute over the refereeing. Real Madrid lost 2-1 at the Riyadh Air Metropolitano, but the club’s official complaint and Jose Mourinho’s post-match attack on Miguel Angel Ortiz Arias made the officials the main story.

Real Madrid's official complaint

Real Madrid released an official statement after the defeat, calling Ortiz Arias’ refereeing very terrible. The club said Dean Huijsen was sent off in the second half after a last-man foul and a VAR review, and added that both disputed decisions affected the match, which was decided in Atletico Madrid’s favour after the break.

The statement also said the referee failed to send off Cristian Romero in the first half for stepping on Bellingham’s knee, despite going to the monitor, and did not send off Kang-In Lee for stepping on Federico Valverde’s left ankle. Bellingham was filmed in a furious confrontation with the match officials at full time, while the club also barred its players from speaking in the mixed zone.

Mourinho's attack on the officials

Mourinho went further after the derby. Speaking to goal.com, he said: “The referee had no experience to officiate a derby. He's 41 years old. He's a poor referee who's only ever done minor matches. Congratulations to the refereeing committee for this appointment. But Mr. Trujillo does have a history with Real Madrid.”

He also added: “Things happen in this stadium that aren't normal. The disallowed goal for Osasuna is a joke, what happened in San Sebastian... La Liga is the same as when I left it. We're going to fight. My boys are leaving sad. Negreira isn't here, is he? Or is he still?”

The football itself did not help Real Madrid’s case. Atletico Madrid have won four of their last five in La Liga and are now second in the table, while Real were left chasing the game after Huijsen’s dismissal. Bellingham still stood out in the chaos, winning 11 of 12 duels, but his night ended in the sort of anger Madrid will carry into the next round of league fixtures.

Written by Daniel Hartley with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 5 outlets. How we work →