'It's a penalty on the moon!' - Alvaro Arbeloa rages at officials after Real Madrid's costly draw with Girona

Real Madrid were left frustrated after a controversial decision denied them a potential match-winning penalty during their 1-1 draw with Girona on Friday. A controversial moment occurred in the 88th minute when Mbappe was seemingly fouled by Vitor Reis. Replays showed Mbappe being elbowed by Reis, leaving him bleeding from the face. However, referee Javier Alberola didn't deem it a foul, and VAR wasn't used. 

The decision sparked immediate protests from the Real Madrid bench, as the hosts saw another chance slip away in the final minutes of the match. Madrid ultimately had to settle for a point, a result that further complicates their domestic title ambitions amid a series of inconsistent performances. Arbeloa did not hide his frustration when addressing the incident after the final whistle, claiming the foul on Mbappe was obvious.

"It’s a penalty here and on the moon," Arbeloa said after the game. "And it’s just one more. Another one. It’s what we have, it’s what it is. Neither I nor anyone else understands it. VAR intervenes when it’s convenient, and when it’s not, it doesn’t."

"I already said it yesterday, and you know my opinion. These events confirm it. It’s a clear foul. Kylian was called for a foul in the first half that was even less. We’ve had many problems with referees. With this one, in Mallorca... It’s the same old story."

Despite the refereeing drama, much of the spotlight also fell on Madrid’s attacking duo after Mbappe and Vinicius Jr both failed to score against a disciplined Girona side. Arbeloa, however, insisted he remains confident in the pair’s quality and believes the issue lies more in the team’s overall attacking structure.

"I can’t worry about two players with the stats they have," he added. "They’re among the top four or five in the world. We need to improve many things collectively, because we struggle against teams that wait for us. We continue to struggle, and it has more to do with our collective performance than individual performance. Let’s hope things go better on Wednesday."

This draw makes it even harder for Madrid to catch Barcelona at the top of the table. Los Blancos are second with 70 points from 31 matches, six behind the Blaugrana, who have played 30. Arbeloa's side will now turn their attention to the Champions League, where they will face Bayern Munich in the second leg of their quarter-final.