After the scandalous whistle

Ancelotti rages: “This has never happened before!”

(Bild: Screenshot Glomex)

There was a lot of anger at Real Madrid on Saturday after the 2:2 draw in the Spanish league at Valencia. Jude Bellingham's supposed winning goal with a header in the 99th minute did not count because the referee blew the whistle immediately before Brahim Diaz crossed from a corner. "Something unprecedented happened," said Real coach Carlo Ancelotti. "I think he made a mistake. We are very upset."

To make matters worse, Bellingham was also shown a red card for complaining to referee Jesus Gil Manzano - one of Spain's top referees - after the goal was disallowed. The young star is facing a ban as a result, but Real immediately lodged a protest against the red card. "He just told the referee that it was a damn goal and that's the truth. He didn't insult the referee," emphasized Ancelotti. According to the Spanish media, Bellingham had said: "Bloody hell, it's a goal! The ball is in the air. What the hell is that?"

Real Madrid scored the winning goal against Valencia shortly after the final whistle and Jude Bellingham was sent off for complaining. Carlo Ancelotti had no sympathy for the decision.(Bild: Screenshot Glomex)

Real remained unchallenged at the top of the table for the time being. However, the draw, which Vinicius Junior saved for the Madrilenians with a brace, means that surprise team Girona and arch-rivals FC Barcelona could close the gap to four and six points respectively on Sunday.

CL clash with Leipzig
On Wednesday, Real will be without injured ÖFB star David Alaba for the Champions League round of 16 second leg against RB Leipzig. "We have to get back to normal because we have an important game," said Ancelotti. The record Champions League winners won the first leg in Germany 1:0.