Jude Bellingham’s angry message to the referee after the heated Real Madrid vs Atletico Madrid game wasn’t shown on TV
Jude Bellingham was seen angrily shouting at the referee after Real Madrid’s 2-1 loss to Atlético on Sunday (September 20), but TV cameras didn’t catch it.
Diego Simeone’s team won a lively Madrid derby. Alejandro Grimaldo scored first with a penalty in the 53rd minute after Real Madrid defender Dean Huijsen fouled Giuliano Simeone and got a red card. Atlético quickly made it 2-0 when Jonathan David scored his third goal in three La Liga games.
Even though stars like Arda Güler, Vinícius Junior, and Kylian Mbappé played, none really changed the game. Real Madrid got one goal back late, in the 89th minute, when Antonio Rüdiger headed in a free kick from Bernardo Silva.
After the match, Real Madrid players and coach José Mourinho were very upset with referee Ortiz Arias. At his press conference, Mourinho showed pictures of two moments he felt should have led to red cards: Cristian Romero’s foul on Bellingham and Lee Kang-in’s tackle on Fede Valverde.
“We can skip the press conference because the story is right here,” Mourinho said, showing the photos. “Those were clear red cards. We played most of the game with 11 against 10, but imagine how it would be with 11 against 9!”
Mourinho said these decisions affected the game and questioned why the referees were chosen for this match. “I want to believe mistakes happen, like a coach or player makes mistakes,” he added.
Bellingham was also furious and was heard shouting “two reds! Two” at the officials right after the game.
Real Madrid later released a strong statement called “A dreadful refereeing performance decides the derby.” They said the referee failed to send off Cuti Romero for stepping on Bellingham’s knee (even after review) and didn’t penalize Kang-in Lee for stepping on Valverde’s ankle. They believe these moments changed the match, which Atlético won in the second half.
The club explained how, after watching the replay, the referee gave a yellow card to Romero instead of a red, and ignored Lee’s dangerous tackle on Valverde. Real Madrid also pointed out the penalty and red card given to Huijsen later in the game.
Real Madrid is now fourth in La Liga, six points behind leaders Barcelona. They will play Villarreal at home on October 10 when the league restarts after the international break.