Tuesday evening's La Liga clash between Real Madrid and Elche served up more than a few controversial refereeing calls.
Real Madrid left their hosts' stadium with three precious points, Carlos Espí bagging the third (3-2) deep into stoppage time.
Referee Jesús Gil Manzano, though, lit the fuse with a string of decisions during a thrilling contest.
In the 48th minute, Elche wanted a penalty. Germán Valera's ball struck Konaté's hand, but Gil Manzano was adamant there was nothing in it.
Spanish outlet "Archivo VAR" weighed in on the incident: "Does Konaté's handball in the Elche and Real Madrid match warrant a penalty? The answer is no."
They explained: "The French defender changes the direction of the ball with his elbow to a corner kick, and his arm is close to his body and in a completely natural position. A handball far from being considered a foul that warrants a penalty."
Late on, Real Madrid's players raged over Osorio catching Huijsen in the face with his elbow, and Dos Valera's strike on Cucurella's ankle. The referee waved both away.
Archivo VAR said: "Does the Osorio incident against Huijsen deserve a direct red card? The answer is no."
They continued: "Although the striker risks the challenge, because he did not open his arm and did not make a clear movement with it, the challenge is not classified as an assault (violent conduct)."
Their verdict was blunt: "Manzano did not even show the yellow card, and he should have done so."
Poor rating for Gil Manzano
Archivo VAR then tore into Gil Manzano on their official website, handing him a paltry 3 out of 10.
They wrote: "The standards: A resounding failure for Gil Manzano after a very poor refereeing performance in the Elche and Real Madrid match. Although he did not commit gross errors requiring the intervention of the video assistant technology (VAR), he committed many errors of judgement, repeatedly failing to show the yellow card to Tete Morente, who escaped punishment in an incomprehensible manner."
The critique went on: "He also failed to caution Osorio for his challenge on Huijsen in the first half, which was close to being considered an assault, and Chust for his violent challenge on Güler, which was not direct contact. He was lucky. Had it been a full collision, it would have been a direct red card."
More followed: "He did not even award any foul. Simply, he was not up to the responsibility, even though the match did not require much of him. He is starting to lose the trust of the senior referees, a trend that began last season."
Turning to the flashpoints, the network added: "The controversy: The match witnessed two controversial incidents, which were not in fact serious. Firstly, Osorio's violent challenge on Huijsen was not punished, which is strange. This challenge was not considered aggression due to the absence of an actual movement of the elbow, but it deserved a clear yellow card."
They noted: "Then, in the second half, a handball on Konaté was alleged, a claim with no basis in truth, as his arm was close to his body and in a natural position."





