Geronimo Rulli denies 'exaggerating' reaction to Dani Carvajal headbutt as Marseille goalkeeper explains red card incident in loss to Real Madrid

Carvajal came on in the fifth minute of the game after Trent Alexander-Arnold picked up an injury. In the 72nd minute, with the game level at 1-1, he clashed with Rulli during a corner. After a heated exchange of words, Carvajal leaned in and struck the goalkeeper in the face with his head. The referee missed the moment, but after VAR's intervention, the defender was shown a straight red card.

Speaking after the match, Rulli described what happened in detail and denied exaggerating his reaction to Carvajal's contact. 

"It was a moment in the match, the player was alone, and I was moving forward with my hand to call a team-mate to come and cover him," the Argentine revealed. "Then he took my hand away. We started arguing, and he came over and headbutted me from the bottom to the top of the nose, maybe because of the difference in height. I didn't exaggerate, and he understood immediately that he had made a mistake, that's all. But my nose is fine. It hurt, but everything is fine."

Despite having an extra man for the final 20 minutes, Marseille couldn’t make it count. Instead, the Los Blancos were awarded a penalty in the 81st minute after Facundo Medina's handball inside the box. Mbappe stepped up and scored his second of the night, sealing a 2-1 win for the Spanish giants and denying Marseille a valuable away point.

Carvajal could now face a heavy sanction under UEFA’s Disciplinary Code. Article 15 in the rule book allows up to a three-match suspension for aggression, though the best-case scenario would be a two-match ban if it is judged as serious unsporting conduct. The more severe suspension would see him miss the away game against Kairat, at home to Juventus, and the trip to Liverpool.