Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti has played down Almeria’s anger when the La Liga club complained of stealing in Sunday’s 3-2 win at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Almería, who have failed to win in the League this season, took a wonderful 2-0 half-time lead against Madrid. However, Ancelotti’s team responded with three second-half goals, adding a 99th-minute winner to get back into the standings. the most sensible at the table.
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The game turned around in three key moments after the break, when referee Francisco Jose Hernandez Maeso awarded Madrid a penalty, blocked an Almeria goal and allowed Vinicius Junior to score with his arm.
The three decisions were made after Hernandez Maeso reviewed the incidents on the pitch monitor, with Ancelotti lending his in each of the calls.
“I sense Almeria’s anger at those decisions, but I think they were all right,” Ancelotti said in his post-match press conference. “I saw them again. I think the referee is with them. It’s not VAR that makes the decisions. The VAR warns and the referee decides. I think he was right. “
Almeria got off to a good start, with Largie Ramazani opening the scoring in the first minute and Edgar Gonzalez doubling the lead in the 43rd minute before the drama began after the break.
First, the referee awarded a penalty for a handball by Kaiky Fernandes when Almeria claimed that the Brazilian had been fouled by Joselu. Jude Bellingham changed on the spot.
Almeria were then denied a Sergio Arribas goal due to a foul on Bellingham through Dion Lopy in pre-season, paving the way for Vinícius to equalise with his arm. Then, Dani Carvajal scored the winning goal in stoppage time, sneaking into the post to score from a tight angle.
“It’s a festival that deserves to be fair to everyone and it’s hard to watch,” Gonzalez told reporters. “The [Madrid penalty] is obviously a foul and I think the moment it happens it’s a handball foul. All the decisions have been in his favor. “
Defender Marc Pubill added: “We couldn’t beat someone and that’s what happened. “
Midfielder Gonzalo Melero was also upset, telling reporters: “The feeling is that we were robbed today, that’s clear. They couldn’t have done more to get [Madrid] back into the game.
“And that’s already happened to us several times this season. If you don’t complain, they don’t help you, that’s just the way it is. We never said anything, but today we crossed all the lines. It’s unbelievable. “
Ancelotti attributed Madrid’s lackluster first half to fatigue after a run of matches that ended with Atletico Madrid’s elimination from the Copa del Rey in extra time on Thursday.
This came after a 4-1 win over Barcelona in the Spanish Super Cup final and a 5-3 win over Atlético after extra time in the same competition, both games being played in Saudi Arabia.
“The first half was really bad,” Ancelotti said. We lacked energy. The team was tired. The second half was a different story and we had the support of the stadium to push us, which is important. “
“I made a mistake with the team by settling on tired players. By the 30th minute I was already thinking about making adjustments to have more energy.
“All I can do is just replace the dynamic to cool my legs in the split time. Some players paid the value of extra time against Atletico on Thursday. The timing is better.
“I’m angrier at myself than anything else. Everyone wants to play, but I have to assess who’s ready, who’s ready to rest, etc. , and I was today. “
The win puts Real Madrid on 51 points from 20 games less than Saturday’s game against Las Palmas. Almeria remains in last place with only six points.