Ancelotti Questions Romero's Red Card Call
After the defender apologized for his challenge on Kylian Mbappé, Carlo Ancelotti called the decision to not dismiss Carlos Romero of Espanyol, who later scored the team's lone goal in their 1-0 victory over Real Madrid, "inexplicable" on Saturday.
When Romero fouled Mbappé in the 61st minute, taking the Madrid forward down with a tackle from behind as he burst away on the counterattack, referee Alejandro Muñiz Ruiz gave him a yellow card.
The defender then scored a thrilling goal in the 85th minute to seal the victory, and Real Madrid now leads rivals Atletico Madrid by only one point at the top of the La Liga standings.
The referee's and VAR's judgment seems perplexing to Ancelotti. He thinks the player should have been sent off for a reckless challenge and a blatant foul.
Romero indicated that he had apologized to Mbappé in a statement following the final whistle.
"I was unable to stop Mbappé from running away. I told him I was sorry, and the challenge was unpleasant."
Manolo González, the coach of Espanyol, stated that Romero had no intention of hurting Mbappé.
According to González, "It was tough but meant to defend, not harm," as he told DAZN.
The first-half decision to reject a goal by Vinícius Júnior for a foul by Mbappé again infuriated Madrid.
Ahead of a string of games that will see Madrid play Leganés in a Copa del Rey quarterfinal, host rivals Atletico in a derby next Saturday, and then travel to Manchester City for the first leg of their Champions League knockout phase playoff, defender Antonio Rüdiger was substituted out due to an injury in the 15th minute.
With the transfer window closing on Monday, the squad is already without defensemen Dani Carvajal and Éder Militão, while David Alaba has just returned following a lengthy layoff.
"Rudiger has an injury; we have to assess it. We've discussed signings; know what to do."
