The decision came amidst a chippy first half between Los Blancos and their hosts. Madrid were repeatedly incensed by the referee's reluctance to award decisions in their favour. They felt that they should have been awarded a penalty early on when there was contact on Vinicius Jr in the box, while Kylian Mbappe was twice on the end of hard tackles. Mbappe's early goal ensured they had a 1-0 advantage at the time of the incident. In the 21st minute, coach Carlo Ancelotti was shown a yellow card.