Alex Kirkland
Rodrigo Faez
Mar 2, 2024, 06:57 PM ET
Carlo Ancelotti said an “unprecedented” refereeing decision saw what would have been a last-second winning goal from Jude Bellingham ruled out in Real Madrid’s 2-2 draw at Valencia on Saturday.
Valencia led 2-0 with half an hour played at Mestalla with goals from Hugo Duro and Roman Yaremchuk, before a brace from Vinícius Júnior — scoring at the stadium where he was racially abused by fans last season — put Madrid level.
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Bellingham thought he’d taken all three points when he headed Brahim Díaz’s cross into the net in the ninth minute of added time, but referee Jesús Gil Manzano had chosen to blow the full-time whistle with the ball in the air.
The England midfielder was sent off for disputing the decision, with the referee’s report claiming he had shown an “aggressive attitude” and repeatedly shouted “it’s a f—ing goal.”
“There isn’t much to say. Something unprecedented happened,” Ancelotti said in his postmatch news conference. “We had possession. The play should stop when Valencia have the ball. It’s unprecedented. It’s never happened to me.
“We were annoyed with Bellingham’s red card. He didn’t say any insults. He said in English ‘it’s a f—ing goal,’ but he was just saying what we were all thinking … [The referee] allowed play to continue. I think he made a mistake.”
“[Bellingham] was clear in what he said,” Ancelotti added. “He was quite vehement [in his reaction] but that’s normal, after what happened. It wasn’t an insult, not at all.”
The draw leaves Real Madrid seven points clear at the top of the LaLiga table, with closest rivals Girona and Barcelona both in action on Sunday.
“We’ll look at the table and we’ll sleep well,” Ancelotti said.
Vinícius’ two goals came after he was sent off in Madrid’s loss in the same fixture in May 2023, in a game which also saw the Brazil international racially abused by a group of fans in the crowd.
Three people have been accused of racially insulting the player, who gave evidence in the case via video link last October.
“It was a very difficult game,” Vinícius told Real Madrid TV on Saturday. “Playing away from home is always difficult. After conceding two goals, we managed to level. In the end we couldn’t [win] because they didn’t let us.”
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