Real Madrid cruise to victory
Madrid secured a comfortable 3-0 victory over Racing Santander at El Sardinero. However, the comprehensive away win was overshadowed by a highly controversial penalty decision involving Mbappe.
A spot-kick was awarded following an incident involving the French forward. The decision immediately sparked debate, with critics questioning the legitimacy of the foul and the glaring lack of intervention from the video assistant referee.
Mourinho questions VAR decision
Mourinho was quick to offer his assessment of the controversial incident. The manager revealed he reviewed the footage on a tablet and immediately felt a clear error had been made by the officials.
"They change them so much, and the small details are such that people don’t know that it’s never a penalty by [Aurelien] Tchouameni because of the rebound from the ball," Mourinho explained on the club's official website. "It’s never a penalty. When the referee called a penalty, I stayed calm because from 60 meters away, I couldn’t see it. But later, when I saw it on the iPad, I thought, if VAR doesn’t mess up, that’s not a penalty.
"For me, the referee was technically very good and disciplined. He gave out a couple of yellow cards, and that’s it. It was a tough and competitive match. For me, it’s obvious that it wasn’t a penalty."
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Ex-referee demands more consistency
Former referee Gonzalez completely agreed with Mourinho's damning assessment. He strongly criticised the lack of consistency from the VAR officials, comparing the incident to a similar situation in the match between Getafe and Sevilla earlier in the day.
"If the VAR has intervened in Getafe-Sevilla for a hand to the face, it has to intervene for this; otherwise, there is no refereeing consistency," Iturralde Gonzalez argued, as quoted by Mundo Deportivo.
He was left baffled by the differing standards applied across the two matches in such a short space of time. He concluded: "Why in one hour has it intervened in Getafe and not in Santander in a very, very similar action? For me, it is not a penalty."
Focus on the upcoming matches
The controversial penalty ultimately helped Madrid secure all three points on their travels. Los Blancos will now switch their focus to their upcoming domestic and European fixtures. Mourinho’s side will travel to face AEK in the Champions League on Wednesday, followed by a clash against Valencia over the weekend.